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UMI ON za AOMENtasA dissertation entitled THE OUTER WHEEL OF TINE+ VAJRAYANA BUDDHIST COSMOLOGY IN THE KALACAKRA TANTRA submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Yadieon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by JOHN RONALD NEWMAN Degree to be awarded: December 1987 _ May 19_ Auguet 19. Approved by Dissertation Readers: ye? ‘ A baht Aes April 28, 1987 Tate of Baanination Thjor Professor + Tra, Orca SoakTHE OUTER WHEEL OF TIME: VAJRAYENA BUDDHIST COSMOLOGY IN THE KALACAKRA TANTRA by JOHN RONALD NEWMAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Buddhist Studies) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON 1987© copyright by John Ronald Newnan 1987 All Rights ReservedCONTENTS Part I: Introduction Acknowledgements... Abstract....- Introduction..... Chapter 1 Tantra. Chapter 2 Unique Features of Buddhist Tantra....- Chapter 3 The Vajrayana's Position Within Buddhism......16 Chapter 4 Methodology in the Study of the Vajrayana.. Chapter 5 Problems of Chronology. pees Chapter 6 The History of the Kalacakra in India.. Chapter 7 A Survey of the Kalacakva Tantra... Chapter @ An Analysis of Part II: Translation.... Chapter 9 Previous Study of the Kalacakra Introduction. peanoboe 213 The First Brief Account.......006++ 22d The Second Brief ACCOUNt.......cccssseec reece eeeeee nes 245 The Third Brief Account... : 1-292 The Fourta Brief Account.. ‘The Fifth Brief Account. The Sixth Brief Account. The Seventh Brief Account The Eighth Brief Account..+2832 ‘The Ninth Brief Account......-...+++ The Tenth Brief Account......+-.0see06 Pe +543 Sri Kalacakra I.150-170 . oo +578 Abbroviations......csscseesceeeseeneereeessues 60 655 Bibliography of Works in Sanskrit and Tibetan..........686 Bibliography of Works in Other Languages........ ee oeiad ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have written this dissertation without the help and encouragement of a number of teachers, colleagues and friends. I owe a special debt of gratitude to His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, who arranged a tutorial for me and encouraged my study of the Kalacakra. My teacher in Dharamsala, Geshe Wangdrak (Lobsang Tenzin), offered valuable insight into mKhas grub's Tik chen. The staff of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala provided easy access to essential research materials, and an environment conducive to research. Professor Samdhong Rinpoche facilitated my affiliation with Varanasi Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, and enabled me to extend my research visa with the Government of India. Mrs. Sharada Nayak and the staff of the United States Educational Foundation in India efficiently administered my Fulbright-Hays doctoral dissertation research fellowship and offered help above and beyond the call of duty. My friends Karl-Heinz gverding, Ronald Davidson, and John Makransky furnished me with difficult to obtain Kalacakra texts. I am especially indebted to David Reigle for providing me with excellent photocopies of a number of Kaiacakra manuscripts and other materials and information - his unstinting generosity is a paradigm of what scholarly cooperation should be. Elvin Jonesiv shared with me his vast knowledge of ancient religions and greatly influenced my approach to the Kalacakra. My wife Beth supported and encouraged my research in many ways great and small, Finally, I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to my teacher Professor Geshe Lhundub Sopa. Whatever I have understood of Buddhism is the result of his instruction and example.ABSTRACT THE OUTER WHEEL OF TIME. VAJRAYENA BUDDHIST COSMOLOGY IN THE KALACAKRA TANTRA John Ronald Newnan Under the supervision of Professor Geshe Sopa The Kalacakra (Wheel of Time) tantra is a system of Vajrayana Buddhist mysticism that developed in India during the 11th century. Like all forms of Vajray3na Buddhism, the Kalacakra utilizes theurgy as a path of soteriological apotheosis. The basic concept underlying the Kalacakra system is the ancient idea of the identity of the macrocosm (the universe) and the microcosm (the soul). Cosmos and soul form an integrated entity that serves as the basis for the soteriology of the Kalacakra yoga. Thus the entire subject matter of the Kalacakra tantra is presented under five categories: cosmos, soul, initiation, practice, and gnosis. The Kalacakra is also described in terms of three Kalacakras: the Outer, Inner, and Other Kalacakras. The Outer Kalacakra is the cosmos: the Inner KSlacakra is the soul; and the Other Kalacakra is the path of apotheosis consisting of initiation, practice, and gnosis. This dissertation focuses on the Outer Kalacakra. It consists of two parts, an introduction and a translation.part I contains nine chapters: the general characteristics of tantra, unigue features of Buddhist tantra, the vajrayana's place within Buddhism, methodology in the study of Vajrayana Buddhism, chronological problems in the study of Vajrayana Buddhism, the history of the Kélacakra in India, a survey of the Kalacakra tantra, an analysis of the translation, and a bibliographical survey of previous study of the Kalacakra. Part II consists of @ translation from the Sanskrit and Tibetan of Sri Kalacakra I.1-27, 126-170 and Vimalaprabhd 1.i.1-9.27, 10.126-149. The Sri acakra (together with its commentary the Vimalaprabha) is a massive esoteric encyclopedia. Cosmology is the principal topic treated in the translation, but a number of other subjects are also dealt with at greater or lesser length - theology, soteriology, mythology, hermeneutics, ontology, chronology, armaments, and eschatology - to mention a few. the KSlacakra represents the culmination and final synthesis of Indian Vajrayana Buddhism. Its syncretic approach to the path to enlightenment make its literature a treasure trove of philosophical, historical, and philological information. Thie dissertation makes a substantial portion of this information easily accessible to interested scholars, and serves as a prolegomenon for further study of the Kalacakra tantra.RSE | i AAR ATE iste TAN NASTI YAN NODITAM ADIBUDDHE Hdibuddha does not exist. not stated in the That which is anT 40/2 GupabhaiIntroduction The Kalacakra is a system of Vajrayana Buddhist mysticism. Because it is Buddhist, it is primarily a soteriology - a means for an individual to obtain salvation from the undesirable vicissitudes of life. bike Vajrayana Buddhism in general, the Kalacakra is mystical and gnostic. Through the practice of esoteric tantric rites, the practitioner of the Kalacakra seeks a special gnosis that is able to effect his transforuation into an enlightened being, a Buddha. The Sanskrit word k@lacakra literally means "the wheel (cakra) of time (kala)"; by extension it means a given revolution of time, = cycle.! In the Kalacakra system this meaning is sublimated and used as a netaphor for gnosis: kBlo_'kgarasukhajfanam upayah karuyatmakab/ jBeyakaram jagac cakram Sriprajiia Sinyatatmika// Time is the gnosis of unchanging bliss - the method consisting of compassion. The Wheel is the world in the aspect of an object of knowledge - the splendid wisdom consisting of emptiness. // (Vimalaprabha 1.1.99) 1 For other applications of the term kalacakra see Ahirbudhnyasamhita 83.9; TantrarSjatantra 28.5, 10, 19. In both of these texts kalacakra represents the entire universs cf temporal existence, In the former text “the wheel of tine” is an epithet of Vignu's discus Sudarsana.Likewis karupadinyatanirtin kala sagvytiripini/ Sinyata cakram ity uktam kalacakro ‘dvayo matah// The image of compassion and emptiness, Time possesses phenomenal form. Emptiness is called “the Wheel." The Kalacakra is accepted as nondual.// (Yimalaprabha 1.1.75) In other words, the Kalacakra is a nondual gnosis, a mind characterized by unchanging bliss realizing the emptiness of all phenomena. In the Kalacakra tantra the term kalacakra vefers to a number of things: the universe as it is perceived by ordinary beings and by Buddhas, the path process explained in the Kalacakra tantra, and the state of Buddhahood produced by that path. This introduction is intended to provide the reader with a context within which he can approach the Vajrayana in general, and the specific world view portrayed in the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha. Chapter 1 describes the general characteristics of tantra. Chapter 2 presents some of the features that distinguish Buddhist tantra - the Vajrayana - from Indian tantra as a whole. Chapter 4 considers methodological issues in the study of Vajrayna Buddhism. Chapter 5 examines problems encountered in dating the texts and masters of the Vajrayana. Chapter 6 presents the history of the Kalacakra tradition in India. Chapter 7 surveys the entire Kdlacakra system. Chapter 8 provides a3 synopsis of the contents of the translation given in Part It. Finally, chapter © presents a bibliographical survey of previous study of the Kalacakra.chapter 1: Tantra Tantra is a pan-Indian phenomenon. From the middle of the first millennium of our era onwards, all three of the major Indian religious traditions - Buddhism, winduism, and Jainism - developed tantric modes of religious practice, and tantra spread throughout the Indian subcontinent.1 Sanskrit dictionaries give more than thirty meanings for the word tantra, but the sense closest to what we are concerned with is “a religious treatise teaching magical and mystical formularies for the worship of the deities or the attainment of superhuman power."2 In fact, this definition is too narrow, because tantra refers primarily to certain systems cf mysticism and not merely to the texts that teach them. Tantra encompasses a diverse body of beliefs and practices ranging from mundane magic to the most subtle metaphysics. This diversity makes tantra particularly 1 Por the most recent research on Hindu tantra see: Goudriaan (1981), and Gupta (1979). I am not aware of any studies of Jaina tantra, and only know of its existence from conversations with scholars of Jainism. 2 apte 759. "Tantra" in this sense has entered English as a loanword from Sanskrit. This and other Sanskrit loanwords in English - e.g., Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, vajra, mantra, mandala, yoga, yogi, bodhisattva, stupa, sutra - are treated as English words and are not italicized or given diacritics in this thesis.5 difficult to define, Louis de la Vallée Poussin states the problem as follows: Tantrism, properly so calied, bears a twofold character; on the one hand, it is a systematization of the vulgar magical rites and it has existed under this form for many centuries in India and in Buddhiom itself, together with its formulas and its pantheon; on the other hand, it is a ‘theurgy,' a highly developed mysticism styled Vajrayana; under this form Tantrism is an innovation in Buddhism (de la Vallée Poussin 1921:198). For the purpose of this introduction we will define tantra as 'theurgy utilized ac 2 path of soteriological apotheosis. '3 All tantric traditions, whether Buddhist or Hindu, agree that the practice of tantra begins with the guru. A verse cited in the Gunabharani expresses the Buddhist tantric attitude towards the guru: gurur buddho gurur harmo guruh sagghas_tathaivg ca/ gurur vajradharah ériman gurur evatra karanam//# The guru is the Buddha, the guru is the Dharma, and the guru is the Sangha as well. The guru is splendid vajradhara, and the guru is the fundamental cause here as well. The guru is the fundamental cause of the practitioner's spiritual development. As a teacher he embodies the 3 Here I follow Elvin W. Jones in taking apotheosis “in its simple literal sense of transformation or metamorphosis from a human into a divine being" (Sopa 1985:154 [n. 21]). 4 cupabharapi 9a/2-3.6 doctrines that enable the disciple to gain liberation from samsara. The guru serves as the door for the yogi to enter into the practice of tantra. One can independently study the texts of the tantras and their commentaries, but without a guru's oral instruction and exemplification of the tantric experience, the books remain mere words on a page, and the knowledge gained from reading them will most likely be an obstacle to progress on the tantric path. Indeed, once a disciple has accepted the authority of a guru, the guru's instructions supercede everything else, including the textual tradition. The first step on the tantric path is the yogi's selection of a guru. This stage of the path is perhaps the most dangerous because, we are told, false gurus abound, and their instructions lead one to hell. Likewise, it is up to the guru to be certain of the sincerity and aptitude of the student - the guru is responsible for the misdeeds of his disciples. Thus, it is very important that the would-be practitioner and the guru properly examine each other before entering into a formal guru-dieciple relationship. once the disciple has selected a guru, and the guru has accepted the disciple as a student, the education of the disciple begins. The first truly tantric element in1 this process is the guru's initiation of the disciple. In the Hindu context this is usually referred to as diksa, whereas Buddhists most often call it abhigeka. Both of these terms refer to the same thing, and can be translated as "initiation." A tantric initiation is a ritual induction of the disciple into a tantric family.5 Within the family the guru is the father or mother, and the disciples are brothers and sisters. This family, or cult, provides a social environment for the disciple's spiritual advancement. Another aspect of tantric initiation is that it consecrates the disciple, In the Buddhist tantras many elements of the initiation rituals are explicitly modeled on the ancient rites of the rajasiya, the royal consecration (cf. Snellgrove 1959b). Just as the royal consecration empowers the crown prince to attain the status of king, the tantric initiation empowers the disciple to attain the state of the tantric deity. This identification of the disciple with the deity (i.e., the guru as the deity) is the most important © ula; rigs. Kula is an important term in both Hindu and Buddhist tantra - it is in effect the name of the entire $akta tradition of Hindu tantra, Goudriaan (1961:18) thinks this might be a borrowing from Buddhist sources.8 function of a tantric initiation. During the initiation process the guru first identifies himself with the disciple's particular chosen deity (igtadevata; ‘dod pa'i ha). Then, graduaily, he introduces the disciple to the deity's abode (mandala in Buddhism; yantre in Hinduism), his divine form, speech (mantra), and mind (gnosis). Finally, the guru ritually transforms the disciple into the deity. He does this by conferring on the disciple emblems or symbolic clothing, by placing seed syllables (blia) on the energy centers of the disciple's body, by teaching the disciple the sacred speech (mantra) of the deity, and by bestowing on the disciple an experience of the deity's gnosis. Initiation introduces the disciple to the tantric path, and is a necessary prerequisite. During the initiation ceremony the guru ritually generates an experience of the divine within the disciple, and plants seeds for his eventual complete development of enlightenment. However, it is incumbent upon the disciple to practice the mysteries revealed in the initiation rites and to develop his own realization of their meaning. Throughout this process the guru gives the disciple a graded course of practices and checks on his progress. Tantric practice is called sadhana, and the foundation of practice is discipline. fither prior to or9 during the initiation rites, the yogi takes up a physical, ethical, and intellectual discipline prescribed by the guru. Adherence to this discipline is fundamental to the practice of tantra; lapses in it make the yogi's spiritual progress impossible. Tantric practice can be divided into two parts: formal ritual or meditative sessions, and all other activities. In the beginning the yogi is likely to practice formally during only a small proportion of his day, gradually increasing the period until it dominates his life. Once he has become a perfect adept, the distinction of practice and ordinary behavior disappears. It is not pessible to sharply differentiate ritual and meditation in tantra. To a certain extent the proper performance of an external tantric ritual is dependent on the performer's attitude; at the same time, tantric meditations are arranged in a ritualistic format, The difference is a matter of degree: some tantric rites require relatively little thought on the part of the performer to be effective, whereas some meditations involve no external ritual activity at all. A formal session of tantric practice is likely to begin with the creation of a protective circle. This circle serves as a magical barrier preventing malicious obstructors, human or otherwise, from interfering with the10 performance of the practice, Once protected, the yogi produces an abode for the chosen deity. (This can a physical object, such as a painted mandala or yantra, or it can be imaginary.) The practitioner invokes the deity invites it to enter its abode, and worships it there. Then the yogi vequssts the deity to enter into himself, and the yogi thus becomes identical with the deity. Having become transformed into the deity, the yogi performs rituals, meditations, or both, that are designed to produce a desired result, This can be a mundane goal, such as the obtainment of wealth and power or the destruction of enemies; or it can be a transcendental aim such as spiritual liberation. When this portion of the session is completed, the yogi performs concluding rites. Between formal sessions the yogi should imagine that all of his daily activities, eating, sleeping, talking, and so forth, are expressions of his service to the deity In this way the practitioner's entire life becomes yoga~ the proces of union with the deity, When the yogi's practice of yoga is perfected he gains union with his chosen deity. In attaining a state of divinity, the yogi gains divine qualities such as spiritual power, gnosis, and liberation from samsara.u Chapter 2: Unigue Features of Buddhist Tantra The preceding brief sketch describes tantra in terms broad enough to be applicable to 211 forms of systematized tantra, Hindu and Buddhist.1 Buddhist tantra, like tantra in general, is ‘theurgy utilized as a path of soteriological apotheosis.’ However, the Vajrayana is Buddhist, specifically Mahayana Buddhist, and certain features of Mahayana Buddhism set the Vajrayana apart from the tantric systems of other traditions. The following observations are uncritically presented from the point of view of Buddhist dogma. It goes without saying that they would be vociferously rejected by the non-Buddhist tantric traditions. Unfortunately, the study of tantra is in its infancy, and no reliable comparative research has ¥ t been done. All forms of Buddhist practice, whether Hinayana or Mahayana, are based on renunciation of samsara - worldly 1 With regards to one point in particular I have doubts that this model is workable. In Buddhist tantra mundane magic - alchemy, necromancy, ritual murder and seduction, and so forth - is, theoretically a: least, always sublimated into a spiritual path. 1 do not know if this is universally the case in the Hindu tantric traditions. Ancther issue I avoid altogether here is the relationship between what we might call “popular tantra" and tantra as incorporated in formal religious traditions. Many tantric practices predate brahmanism, not to mention Buddhism, and are not inherently religious in nature. Tt may be the case that "tantra" is simply an Indian name for theurgical magic.12 existence bound up in the passions of desire, hatred, ignorance, and so forth. From the Buddhist perspective the followers of other religious traditions are unable to transcend samsara because they misunderstand its true nature. Without the correct understanding of the nature of samsara one may temporarily suppress samsaric propensities by means of a worldly path of meditation, but there is no way to cotally eradicate them, Thus, even though a non-Buddhist ‘@ntrika gains what he believes to be liberation, he is still bound to samsara by subtle misconceptions. Although the non-Buddhist yogi may obtain rebirth in one of the formless realms, and remain there for eons absorbed in samadhi, he will fall from that state due to the eventual ripening of samsaric propensities. In brief, Vajrayana Buddhists hold that tantra as practiced by non-Buddhists is merely a worldly path, and is unable to effect the practitioner's liberation. A corollary of the preceding point is the difference between Buddhist and non-Buddhist tantric deities. vajrayana Buddhism presents an extraordinarily complex pantheon, but its deities can be divided into two basic classes: worldly deities and transcendental deities. Worldly deities may be propitiated in order to gain various kinds of mundane benefits, but the ultimate goal of vajrayana practice is attainment of the state of a13 transcendental deity, a Buddha. Vajrayana Buddhists hold that the deities of non-Buddhist tantric traditions, notably Siva and Vispu, are mere worldly gods trapped in samsara. Although they are powerful, and can satisfy worldly wishes, their status is an unsuitable goal for religious practice. Because the Vajrayana is a form of Mahayana Buddhism, the primary motivation for practicing it is bodhicitta- the desire to obtain perfect Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. A Buddha, by definition, is one who has eliminated all of his own defects and perfected all good qualities. only a Buddha has the wisdom, power, and compassion necessary to be able to most effectively help sentient beings in accordance with their own dispositions. Non-Buddhist tantric yogis, on the other hand, strive merely for their own liberation, and are not altruistically motivated. The philosophical basis for the practice of the Vajrayana is the Madhyamaka view expounded by Nagarjuna.? 2 his point requires some qualification. Tibetan scholars have told me it is possible to accomplish the generation process while holding the Cittamatra view, but that practice of the completion process requires the Madhyamaka view (the two "processes" wili be described later). Since the two processes only appear in the anuttarayoga class of tantras, either view would support the practice of the lower classes of tantra. In any case, all of the Vajrayana masters whose philosophical position can be determined with any degree of certainty appear to14 Madhyamaka can be boiled down to a single statement: all phenomena are devoid of own-being because they originate in dependence on causes and conditions. Madhyamaka means "the middle," or “the Middle Way," and it attempts to avoid the two philosophical extremes of nihilism and eternalism. Because Madhyamaka asserts that dependently- originated phenomena exist, it avoids the. extreme of nihilism. Because phenomena are devoid of a self, or own- being, they are able to function causally: thus, Madhyamaka escapes the extreme of eternalism. The importance of this view within Vajrayana Buddhism cannot be overestimated. Vajrayana Buddhists hold that their special view of reality greatly distinguishes their practice of tantra from that of non-Buddhists. The Hindu tantric traditions adhere to Vedanta, Sankhya, or a mixture of both. According to Madhyamikas, these positions entail both nihi and eternalism because they are unable to offer a coherent account of causality. Buddhist tantra and non-Buddhist tantra can be profitably compared because they possess so many common have followed the Madhyamaka or, more frequently, Madhyanaka containing a substantial admixture of Yogacara ideas. See Ruegg (1981:104-118).15 features.3 Both traditions originated and developed in India, and thus presuppose a common Indian world view. In particular, both traditions are “tantric" - by far the greatest portion of their beliefs and practices are identical. Nevertheless there are crucial differences between the two that derive from their distinct philosophical and religious underpinnings. When serious comparative study of Buddhist and non-Buddhist tantra begins echoiars will need to be cautious in order to avoid reducing one to the other. 3 To speak of "non-Buddhist tantra" as though it was a unified whole is merely a convenient reductionism. There is probably as much diversity within the non~ Buddhist tantric traditions as there is within tantra as a whole.16 napter 9: The Vajrayana‘s Position Within Buddhism Vajrayana, "the Adamantine Vehicle," is a traditional name for Buddhist tantra.? It is synonymous with Mantrayana, "the Mantra Vehicle."? The word vajra has @ number of meanings, but in the tantras the most common usage of vajra is in the sense of “adamant.” SekoddeSa 164a says: abhedyam vajram ity uktam /rdo rje mi phyed ces par brjod/> 1 &.g., GuhyasamBja 15.100b, 18.524. 2 some Japanese scholars distinguish Mantrayana from vajrayana (cf. Winternitz 1999a:400, citing B. Nanjio) - They take Mantrayana as referring to the doctrines taught in the tantras of the Shingon sect, primarily the Mahdvairocana and the Tattvasamgraha. Vajrayana, they Say, indicates tantric teachings such as those found in the Guhyasamaja, in which erotic elements play _an important role. Sneligrove, too, distinguishes Mantrayana from Vajrayana (Snellgrove 1987:129, 279). (I will discuss Sneligrove's view later.) I am not aware of any traditional source for this terminological distinction. The Vimalaprabha treats these terms as synonyms, as does the Indo-Tibetan tradition in general (cf. de Jong 1964:92-93; Hopkins 1977: 105-110) « Some Indian scholars (e.g. B. Bhattacharyya and HP. shastri), and others following them, have divided Buddhist tantra into three yanas: Vajrayana, Kalacakrayana, and Sahajayana (cf., e.g-, Dasgupta 1946:24; Dasgupta 1950:52— 53, 64-69; Renou 1963:596). I have not encountered the jatter two terms in any traditional source, and can only conciude they are neologisms. The Kalacakra, in any case, {s merely one system within the Vajrayana, and I agree with Kvaerne that "the distinction between Sahajayana, Kalacakrayana, and Vajrayana is quite artificial" (Kvaerne 1975:88 [n. 1]). 3 sekoddega 164a & c are identical to Hevajra T.i.4ab.17 vajra is called "indivisible." The Vajrayana is a vehicle because it is the method that transports the practitioner to Buddhahood. It is vajra, adamant, because it is the indivisible union of wisdom and method. Nagarjuna explains in Paficakrama V.8: prajfiopayasamapattya jfatva sarvay samisatah/ yatra sthito mahayogi tad bhaved yuganaddhakam// When a great yogi obtains the absorption of wisdom and method, knowing everything in its totality, he dwells in the state of integration. When wisdom - the realization of emptiness, and method- great bliss, are perfectly integrated in a nondual fashion, the yogi has achieved the goal of the Vajrayana, Buddhahood. Western scholars now generally accept that the Vajrayana is an authentic Buddhist tradition.4 However, there is still considerable confusion with respect to the vajrayana's place within Buddhism as a whole. In most introductory books on Buddhism one finds statements like the following: Buddhist Tantra was a radical departure from the classical Buddhist tradition... Mantras were so much a part of Tantric meditation that Tantra...received the alternate name Mantrayana, the Mantra Vehicle or Course. To call the use of mantra a yana, or vehicle, accorded it the dignity of being @ legitimate, distinct path to salvation (Robinson 1977:117 & 118). 4 As A.K. Warder notes: “If we accept the Madhyamaka as Buddhism we may accept the Atiyoga" (Warder 1980:508).ae The first assertion, that Vajrayana was a radical departure from the classical Buddhist tradition, requires some definition. We may assume that by "the classical Buddhist tradition" the author intends the Buddhist tradition that was contemporary with the origin of the Vajrayana in India. By the middle of the first millennium A.D. the main stream of Buddhism in India was the Mahayana as formulated by Nagarjuna and Asafiga, propounded by such authorities as Candrakirti, Bh@vaviveka, Santideva, Santaraksita, KamalagIla, Haribhadra, and so forth.© Cecil Bendall wonders "whether [the Vajrayana] teachings were officially received," and adds that “one would be only too glad to discover a contemporary denunciation of them" (Bendall 1903:5 {n. 2]). Of course there was no Buddhist Curia in india to determine questions of orthodoxy, but in general one can say the Vajrayana was accepted, even adopted, by the Mahayana Buddhist tradition as a whole. Omitting the earlier, and more problematic, individuals among the masters listed 5 his is not to deny that the Hinayana traditions continued, or to depreciate such scholarly achievenents as the works of Dignaga and Dharmakirti. However, the major developments in Indian Buddhism during the first half of the firet millennium took place within the Mahayana.19 above, ® Santarakgita and Kamalaéila adhered to the vayana,? and one might infer that Haribhadra did as well.® The reason Indian Mahayana Buddhist masters did not denounce the Vajrayana was that from around the 6th century onwards most of them followed the Vajrayana.° Yukei Matsunaga has pointed out that "{Buddhist} Tantrism is not, as is commonly assumed, a third yana opposed to both dinayana and Mahayana" (de Jong 1964:93). From the 8th century commentator Buddhaguhya through to the present, the Vajrayana tradition is unanimous that it is part of the Mahayana, and that it is not a distinct . 6 The question of whether or not Nagarjuna, Kryadeva, Bhavaviveka, Candrakirti, Santideva, and other Madhyamikas were also followers of ‘the Vajrayana is bound up in the issue of how many masters bore these names. For discussion of this problem, see Ruegg (1981:104-106); (1962:510-512, 514-516). 7 cf. Ruegg (1981:106). 8 here is not, to my knowledge, any reference to Vajrayana in Haribhadra's works. However, this argunent from silence may be outweighed by the facts that Haribhadra seems to have been a disciple of Santarakgita (Ruegg 1981:101-102), and that Haribhadra's own disciple, Buddhajfanapada, founded the Jfanapada tradition of Guhyasanaja exegesis (Ruegg 1981: 102). ° This is not to say that all Indian Buddhists accepted the Vajrayana. For a fascinating attack on the Mahayana in general, and the Vajrayana in particular, written c. 1400 by the Theravada scholar Devarakgita, see Chandra (1984:106-110) .20 path to salvation independent of the Mahayana as a whole.10 The Mahayana is divided into two systems or modes of practice: the paramitGnava and the mantranaya - “the paramita system" and "the mantra systen."!1 The first of these, the paramit@ system, is the common Mahayana path that entails the practice of the six (or ten) péramitas, or “perfections."12 py gradually practicing the paramitas 10 the Guhyasamija repeatedly refers to its practices as belonging to the Mahayana (cf., e.g, 5.2-3, b: 7-1). Matsunaga refers to a number of commentators propounding the view that the Vajrayana is part of the Mahayana (de Jong 1984:92-93). Matsunaga's list could be extended indefinitely: see Tsong kha pa's sigags rim chen mo (Hopkins 1977:105-110). The Vimalaprabha is unambiguous in placing the Vajrayana within the general Mahayana (cf., e.g., Vimalaprabhd 1.4.1, 1.5.1). 11 cf. de Jong (1984:92-93); Sneligrove (1987:118, 121-122). Sanskrit naya, like its Tibetan translation tshul, means "behavior, course of conduct, conduct, way of life, course, method, manner, a system, doctrine" and so forth (apte 879). There are a number of other names for the two divisions of the Mahayana; cf. Hopkins (1977:105-110). would only mention here that in the passages of the sNgags rim chen mo cited below, Tsong kha pa sometimes refers to the paramitanaya as the paramitayana, and the mantranaya as the mantrayana. In this instance naya and yana are virtual synonyms. 12 the Mahayana is not, as is often asserted, @ rejection of the Hinayana path. Indian Buddhism, like Indian religions in general, rarely abandoned anything that was useful. The basic structures of the Hinayana and Mahayana paths are identical, and in any case the bodhisattva must fully master the Sravaka- and pratvekabuddha-yanas in order to be able to help people Bredisposed to follow those vehicles. The main Sifterences between the Hinayana and the Mahayana are thean over a period of three great eons, the bodhisattva completes his collections of merit and gnosis, and eventually obtains Buddhahood. ‘The mantra system - i.e., the Vajrayina - is based on and subsumes the paramita system. [It too entails the development of the six paramitas of charity, ethical conduct, patience, energy, concentration, and wisdom. However, it differs from the paramita system in that the tantric methods utilized in its path allow the bodhisattva to obtain Buddhahood much more quickly, even within a single human lifetime in the case of extraordinary individuals. In the sNaags rim chen mo Tsong kha pa explains the reasoning behind the division of the Mahayana into two vehicles: How is the Mahayana divided into two vehicles? It is not from the point of view of the generation of podhicitta, because bodhisattvas who engage in the practice of the mantra system and those who engage in the practice of the paramitd system are similar in doing so in order to obtain perfect Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. And therefore, since there is also no difference in the quality of the enlightenment they strive for, it is also incorrect to divide the Mahayana into two vehicles motivations with which they are practiced and the goals they achieve. Whereas the Hinayana practitioner seeks a cessation of suffering primarily for himself alone, the Mahayana practitioner aims at Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.22 from that point of view.13 the two systems are also not distinguished from the perspective that one has and the cther does not have the view that realizes the reality of phenomena, for there is no view that ig superior to Arya Naga&rjuna's establishment of the intention of the definitive meaning sutras - the Prajiaparamita and so forth - in his Madhyamakaédstra. Even if there was a superior view, Gt would be insufficient to establish the existence of a separate vehicle. For example, even though there are both followers of Madhyamaka and followers of Cittamatra within the pazamita system of the Mahayana, they do not have separate vehicles. Purthermore, both the paramita system and the mantra system have the practice of the six perfections. Thus, there is no difference with regard to the to main paths - method and wisdom - for accomplishing the Form and Dharma Bodies of a Buddha. And even though the Vajrayana path has_some special features that are not shared by the paramita vehicle, since they are not distinctions in the principal aspects of the path, they are not sufficient to establish a separate vehicle. 14 David Snellgrove disagrees: Although it may be shown that many of the roots of the Vajrayana were already present in the Mahayana, just as those of the Mahayana were in the Hinayana, the differences between the Vajrayana and the earlier forms of Buddhism are extreme. The main difference derives from the Vajrayana use of incantation and ritual as a means towards the ultimate goal, whereas in the earlier phases of Buddhism their use was largely peripheral (Snellgrove 1987:130). 13 sneligrove (1987:129-130 [n.27]) argues against Tsong kha pa's view that the Buddhahood striven for in the paramita system and the mantra system is the same, but he presents no evidence. The study of this problem must take fnto account the works of such masters as RatndkaraSanti and Abhayakaragupta, who wrote commentaries on both the Abhisamayalapkara and the tantras. 14 sNgags rim chen mo 27/2-6. My translation differs in wording but agrees in meaning with that of Hopkins (1977:110-111).23 It is true that incantation and ritual play a more important role in the Vajrayana than in earlier phases of Buddhism. However, this difference is not sufficient for us to say ".,.tantric Buddhism becomes a separate ‘Way’ (yana), as distinguishable from the Mahayana as this is distinguishable from the so-called Hinayana" (Snellgrove 1987:129).18 Hnayana and Mahayana are distinguished from the point of view of motivation, practice, and goal. Whereas the Hinaydna path mainly focuses on the development of the wisdom that enables the practitioner to obtain his own nirvana, the Mahayana aims at the equal development of wisdom and method in order to achieve Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. The paramit system and the mantra system of the Mahayana, on the other hand, are identical with regard to motivation (bodhicitta) and goal (Buddhahood). The philosophical theories - Madhyamaka and Vijfianavada - underlying their practices are the same. The basic practices, the practice of the six paramitas, are the same. The only difference between the two systems is that the mantra system contains 18 snellgrove rightly notes "...it may fairly be claimed that there has scarcely ever been any form of Buddhism that has not involved rituals of some kind, even if one thinks only of the cult that surrounded the early stipas" (Snellgrove 1987:279). In fact, the use of ritual and incantation in Buddhist cult practice was not an innovation of the Vajrayana, but developed within earlier phases of Buddhism.certain additional techni quickly. In Mah@ydna Buddhism the goal, Buddhahood, is achieved through the practice of the perfection of wisdom, which preduces the accumulation of gnosis, and the perfection of method, which produces the accumulation of merit. The accumulation of gnosis serves as the cause for the development of the Dharma Body, and the accumulation of merit acts as the cause of the Form Body. There is no difference between the paramita system and the mantra system regarding the development of wisdom for the accumulation of gnosis, because both systems promote meditation on emptiness for this purpose. However, in the paramit@ system of the Mahiyana the accumulation cf merit is accomplished through the practice of the six perfections alone, whereas in the mantra system it is produced through the practice of deity yoga (devatayoga; dha'i nal ‘byor). Tsong kha pa explains the difference between the pSramitS system and the mantra system: The method that acts as the cause of the Form Body which, appearing to fortunate disciples, protects and saves sentient beings for as long as samsara exists, must be taken as the chief special feature of the Mahayana. Bodhisattvas following the paramitd system condition themselves to a path that is similar in aspect to the Dharma Body by meditating on the reality of phenomena free from the elaborations of conceptual thought. However, they do not have a path28 of mcditeting on themselves as similar in aspect with the Porm Body that is arrayed with the major and minor marks, whereas those following the mantra system do. Thus, since there is such a large difference in the body of the path with respect to the method of accomplishing the Form Body for the sake of others, the Mahayana is divided into two, the am and mantra vehicles. in general, the Hinayana and the Mahayana must not be distinguished fron the point of view of the wisdom that realizes emptiness, but must be distinguished from the point of view of method. In particular, even though the Mahayana is divided into two, these divisions are not distinguished from the point of view of the wisdom that realizes the profound emptiness, but must be distinguished from the point of view of method, The chief aspect of method is the portion that accomplishes the Form Body. Among methods for accomplishing the Form Body, the Vajrayana deity yoga of meditating on oneself as having an aspect similar to that of the Form Body is superior to the method of the paramita vehicle. 16 In essence, deity yoga involves first imagining oneself in the form of a deity, and then actually becoming that deity. Through the practice of visualization, the repetition of mantras, ritual hand gestures, and various other meditative and ritual techniques, the yogi transforms his ordinary perception of his psychophysical constituents into a mental image resembling his chosen deity - a Buddha. once this mental image is so firmly fixed in the practitioner's mind that its reality equals, or even replaces, his ordinary vision, he engages in other, more advanced techniques that result in his actual 16 116). sNgags rim chen mo 31/5-32/3; Hopkins (1977:115~26 transformation into the deity. The achievement of the state of the deity, i.e., Buddhahood, constitutes the culmination of the Vajrayana path. 17 17 peity yoga does not lend itself to brief treatment, and I am not able to provide a more detailed account here. All of the reliable works on this subject are either by contemporary Tibetan scholars or their western students: see Hopkins (1977 & 1981: passim); Jackson (1985:119-138); Sopa (1985:139-158); Cozort (1986); Gyatso (1982). (The last cited work is an especially clear and detailed exposition of the most advanced Vajrayana yogas.)27 Chapter 4: Methodology in the Study of Vajrayana Buddhism? ...the Tantrik phase developed in Northern india, Kashmir, and Nepal, into the monstrous and polydemonist doctrine, the Kalacakra, with its denoniacal Buddhas, which incorporated the Mantrayana practices, and called itself the Vajra-yana, or 'The Thunderbolt-Vehicle,' and its followers were named Vajracarya, or ‘Followers of the Thunderbolt! (Waddell 1934:15). The extreme development of the Tantrik phase was reached with the Kala-cakra, which, although unworthy of being considered a philosophy, must be referred to here as a doctrinal basis. It is merely a coarse Tantrik development of the Adi-Buddha theory combined with the puerile mysticisms of the Mantrayana, and it attempts to explain creation and the secret powers of nature, by the union of the terrible Kali, not only with the Dhy@ni Buddhas, but even with Adi-Buddha himself. In this way Adi-Buddha, by meditation, evolves a procreative energy by which the awful Samvhara and other dreadful Dakkini-fiendesses, all of the Kali-type, obtain spouses as fearful as themselves, yet spouses who are regarded as reflexes of Adi-Buddha and the Dhyani Buddhas. And these demoniacal 'Buddhas,' under the names of Kala-cakra, Heruka, Achala, Vajra-vairabha, etc., are credited with powers not inferior to those of the celestial Buddhas themselves, and withal, ferocious and bloodthirsty; and only to be conciliated by constant worship of thenselves and their female energies, with offerings and sacrifices, magic-circles, special mantra-charns, etc. (Waddell 1934:131). 1 Compared with the bulk of editions and translations of texts, and essays on individual problems in Vajrayana theory, practice, and history, almost nothing has been written on methodological issues in the study of Buddhist tantra. A notable exception to this is Reginald Ray's "Understanding Tantric Buddhism: Some Questions of Method" (Ray 1974), Other valuable observations include Snellgrove (1959a:vii-ix, 1-11, 39-46); Ruegg (1967:17- 22); Snellgrove (1987:170-176 & passim).28 L. Austine Waddell's description of the K@lacakra, very little of which is based on fact, is an example of the general bewilderment and consternation i9th century European scholars felt towards the Vajrayana. on scholars first encountered Buddhism in its Theravada form. This, they imagined, represented the original, pure teaching of the Buddha, a rational humanism having a number of affinities with their own world view. As Mahayana Buddhism became better known, it was seen as a degeneration. The myriads of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the fantastic imagery of the Mahayana sutras (themselves “late forgeries"), and the increasing prevalence of ritual and magical formulae (dharani), all this was viewed as the rank undergrowth of the inherent defects of “the Hindu mentality" choking out the tender sprout of the Buddha's message. Buddhist tantra, on the other hand, was simply an abomination. What could this “monstrous and polydemonist doctrine," revolving around the worship of demoniacal Buddhas and their fiendess consorts, have to do with the simple asceticism of the Buddha? Today we know that the nineteenth century approach to the study of Buddhism is fatally flawed. We cannot recover “the original teaching of the Buddha" for the simple reason that all of our sources were recorded considerably after the lifetime of the Buddha: all we have29 are the texts of different Buddhist traditions that were redacted at various times. It is also universally understood that the Mahayana is not a degeneration of the Buddhadharma, but is a natural development of Indian Buddhism.2 with the Vajrayana, too, great progress has been made. Most scholars now recognize that the Vajrayana is in fact an authentic Buddhist tradition, and that its study merits the attention given to other forms of Buddhism. However, much work remains to be done. Scholars have often reacted inappropriately to the language and imagery of Vajrayana texts. T.W. Rhys- Davids, writing towards the end of the 19th century, denounces the Buddhist tantras as “miserable in respect of form, as they are odious and degrading in respect of meaning" (Ray 1974:169). Bendall, introducing the Subhdcitasangraha, writes: "...a considerable portion of the contents of the present book will be distasteful and even sometimes repulsive to modern readers...," and justifies its publication because "...next to nothing [has been written about Buddhism's] decay, decrepitude and dotage, as shown in the Tantra-literature" (Bendall 1903:376). Even so, he is compelled to assure the reader that, 0 me it all reads like an obscene caricature of 2 Por thoughtful remarks on this see Snellgrove (1969a:5-8).30 the teachings of...earlier Buddhism" (Bendali 1903:5 (n. 2]). Describing the yogini tantras, de la Vallée Poussin says: "The most conspicuous topic of this literature is what is called the stripija, worship of women: disgusting practices, both obscene and criminal, including incest, are a part of this piijZ, which is looked upon as the true ‘heroic behavior! (duhkaracharya) of a bodhisattva, as the fulfillment of the perfect virtues" (de la Vallée Poussin 1921:196). M. Winternitz writes: ..on the whole we find in [the GuhyaseuZja} the same unsavory mixture of mysticism, occult pseudo-science, magic, and erotics, as in most other Buddhist Tantras"; "...I cannot find much wisdom in the gibberish of most of the Tantras” (Winternitz 1933b:3 & 4).3 More recently, Snellgrove indicates that his translation of the Kevajra Tantra “expunges short passages here and there, in which nothing of value is lost" (Snellgrove 1959a:8).4 Moreover, Snellgrove consistently 3 sneligrove (1987:127 [n. 20], 618) mistakenly attributes this article (Winternitz 1933b) to Benyotosh Bhattacharyya. 4 G£. sneligrove (1959a:98 [n. 2], 104 [n. 2], 119). My criticism of Snellgrove here and elsewhere should not be taken to indicate a lack of respect for his excellent scholarship and fundamentally sound approach to the study of the Vajrayana. Sneligrove properly praises de la Vallée Poussin as the first western scholar to give serious consideration to Buddhist tantra (Snellgrove {959a:vii-vili, 8). However, Snellgrove's own edition and31 avoids a literal translation of sexual terms in the Hevajra, glossing them with euphemisms that give the reader a misleading impression of the contents of the original text.5 An extreme case of misplaced prudery is B. Bhattacharyya's censorship of the sexual terminology from translation of the Hevajra makes him the veritable “opener of the way" for western Vajrayana studies (see the reviews cited in the next note). Also, Snellgrove's recently published Indo-Tibetan Buddhism will be the handbook of scholars of Vajrayana Buddhism for years to come. 5 This starts in the very first line of the tantra, with his translation of bhaga - vulva - as "bliss." See Stein (1960:127), Wayman (1960:160-161), and Conze (1960: 605); de Jong (1960:200}. (It should be noted that these reviews are in general very positive.) Snellgrove now admits: “In my translation of the Hevajra Tantra I have tended to gloss over such [sexual] imagery, as indeed so often do the Tibetans" (Snellgrove 1987:121 [n. 9]). Unfortunately, Sneligrove gives no references to support his remarkable assertion that the Tibetans bowdlerized their translations. It seems to be contradicted by Snellgrove's edition of the Tibetan translation of the Hevajra (cf., e.g., Hevajra II. iv.35- 39; II.xi.11-15; these verses are "expunged" from Sneligrove's translation). There is certainly nothing evasive about the Tibetan translation of the Candamaharogana-tantra (cf., e-g., Cangamaharogana 110- 119}. In brief, I have seen no evidence to support the notion that Tibetan translators ever glossed over sexual or scatological terminology in the tantras. It is noteworthy that the Chinese translations of the Guhyasamaja and the Hevajra were bowdlerized. For the Guhyasamaja see Winternitz (1933b:9); for the Hevajra see de Jong (1960:200), Abbott (1978:100-103), de Jong (1986:66). Kenneth W, Eastman has convincingly argued that the major portion of the massive VajraSekhara corpus was suppressed in China because of its evocative language and imagery (Eastman 1981a). An interesting and valuable study could be done comparing the receptions the Vajrayana received in China, Tibet, and the West.32 Mario E. Carelli's edition of Naro's Paramarthasaggraha (Carelli 1940:75). If Carelli had not been able to supply the censored terms in an addendum, the utility of his edition would have been considerably lessened. Vajrayana Buddhism evokes an emotional response because it utilizes human emotion as an element in its soteriological path. Sex, violence, liquor, and scatology elicit much stronger motive forces than do the abstract principles of an abstruse metaphysics. In the Vajrayana a yogi sublimates passions such as lust, hatred, intoxication, and revulsion, and transforms them into divine qualities. The practices used to generate and transmute the passions are sometimes graphically depicted in the tantras. Misunderstanding of these practices has led to the misconception that the Vajrayana is merely a Kind of esoteric hedonism, and that it promotes libertinisn. A major obstacle to the study of Vajrayana Buddhism is prejudice on the part of the investigator. The scientific study of religion, as in the scientific study of any phenomenon, is predicated on emotional neutrality on the part of the researcher. As historians of religion it is not our task to praise or condemn our subject- matter, that is better left to religious proselytizers and inquisitors. If the student of the Vajrayana is unable to33 temporarily set aside his own personal values, he may find demons and monsters where there are none. The study of Vajrayana Buddhism must begin with the Vajrayana tradition. This principle would seem to be axiomatic, but it is not always followed. Some scholars use modern western theories of philosophy, psychology, and physics to interpret ancient Indian Vajrayana texts. The results they obtain would not be understood, or even recognized, by members of the Vajrayana tradition. While it 4s of course legitimate to attempt an innovative interpretation of a religious text once the traditional interpretations have been understood and assimilated, to omit this first step is a recipe for disaster. A crucial methodological and herneneutical principle in the study of Vajrayana Buddhism is the priority of the traditional commentarial interpretations over our literal reading of the tantras. Some scholars have opted to reverse this priority. For example, Reginald Ray says: +..4t dg the Tantras themselves and not the comaentaries that have always stood at the heart of the Vajrayana cult. The Tantras embody what the practitioners actually do. Here, the sacred synbols to be visualized are described in detail, the yogic practices are set out, the actions of yogin and yogini are portrayed and the ritual utterances are given. And, most important, elements such as these are not presented in abstraction, but are rather described in the unified context of those specific rituals, as actually performed by the Tantrics, that are the real basis of this Buddhist cult. The commentaries, by contrast, provide us with a34 secondary, frequently detached, sometimes scholastic view of the essential practices. Just what is happening in the Tantras is often not clear and for this the commentaries can, in given instances, prove extremely helpful. But our understanding of the Vajrayana cult itself must always be based on a study and interpretation of the Tantras themselves (Ray 1974:178). There is a fundamental problem with this line of reasoning. Anyone who reads a tantra will agree wholeheartedly that "just what is happening in the Tantras is often not clear However, the judgement that the commentaries “provide us with a secondary, frequently detached, sometimes scholastic view of the essential practices" assumes that we are able to determine the actual meaning of the essential practices based on our independent interpretation of the tantras. For reasons outlined below, I believe this to be impossible. 6 out of fairness to Ray, I should note that he recognizes "a now well accepted principle in Tantric Buddhist studies: since the basic Tantras themselves are complex, epigrammatic, ritual documents which are far from being self-explanatory, one can hazard an interpretation of them only after a careful examination of the relevant explanatory literature of the tradition" (Ray 1974:170) However, i strongly doubt that we can go one up on the tradition and somehow determine ‘the original intention of a tantra’ that the tradition has missed. ‘Also, 1 completely concur with Ray's statements that “...the commentaries themselves were never intended to be removed from context and taken alone, but always assumed an intimate familiarity with the Tantra upon which they commented"; that "...the commentaries do not purport to analyze or explain in a Western sense the practices, doctrines or symbolism of Tantric Buddhism"; and "...what fis true of the Tantras themselves is also true of the commentaries: they are a highly idiosyncratic type of3s There is often a great disparity between what the tantras themselves seem to advocate and the explanations of the Vajrayana commentators. Sneligrove states the problem as follows: ...while the tantra itself was intended to be nderstood in its obvious (and be it added in its often reprehensible) sense, the leaders of this new period [i.e., the commentators] persist in regarding it in a figurative sense... (Snellgrove 1959a:17). Again, ..we are aware of a discrepancy existing between the tantras themselves and the exegetical works of those who later adopt them, for while the latter never lose Sight of the goal which is self-realization, the tantras often treat of rites in such a naive manner as to belie any esoteric intention. In the commentaries one is dealing always with the internal process, or with the internal process as the end envisaged. In the tantra itself one is concerned with actual practices in the world without (Snellgrove 1959a:8). It is strange that Snellgrove should be so utterly mistaken in this.? He used nine commentaries in his study literature and are far from being self-explanatory" (Ray 1974:173-174). In my opinion, all of this demonstrates our dependence on the living oral traditions for a thorough understanding of Vajrayana Buddhism. 7 Especially given the statement in the preface to this work that, "There seems to be nothing essentially difficult about these texts if studied [in the light of their commentaries], but one can go hopelessly astray if one attempts to make deductions oneself from literal interpretations of the tantras" (Snellgrove 1959a:viii). Likewise, "...it is oneself who becomes the fool, when one sets about a literal interpretation of the text” (Snellgrove 1959a:46). I agree completely with these observations.36 of the Hevairs, and the valuable notes to his translation make it perfectly clear that the commentators take some passages figuratively, some literally, and some both ways.8 The tantras themselves do not permit merely a naive, literal reading of their contents. A graphic example of this is Hevajra II.iii.29, which is identical to Guhyasama ja 16.61: prapinag ca tvaya ghatya vaktavyay ca mrgavacab/ adattai ca tvaya grahyan sevanag parayositah// You should kill living beings, and speak lies. You 8 For example, there is nothing figurative about the commentators' explanations of the rituals in Hevajra 1,44.20-34 (Snellgrove 1959a:51-55). With regards to the vajra song at Hevajra II.iv.6-8, Snellgrove says: “As for this yvajra-song, the commentaries provide two kinds of interpretation, a literal and a figurative. But in this case even the literal is concealed beneath the jargon of their ‘secret language'" (Snellgrove 1959a:101 [n. 2]). There appears to be general confusion among scholars as to whether the practices described in the tantras are to be physically carried out, or are merely imaginary. Warder says: "According to the traditional interpretation of [the Guhyasamaja] the means here is meditation only, the visualization of the Buddha with whom, or through whom, the 'union' is sought. However, the interpretation standardized by later commentators may have been preceded by more tangible conduct of its rituals" (Warder 1960:488). Such a bifurcation of meditation and ritual is utterly alien to the Vajrayana tradition. From the earliest Indian commentaries through to the living Tibetan tradition, there is no disagreement on this point: ritual performance and meditation go hand in hand. If anything, the later Indian and Tibetan commentators are more explicit than their predecessors in spelling out the karmamudrd practices Warder seems to be alluding to.37 should take what is not given, and have intercourse with others! wives.9 Hevajra II.iii.30, the next verse, explains: ekacittam pranivadham prana cittag yato matam/ Jokn uttarayisyami mpgavadah ca Sabditam/ * _ yosicchukram adatta ca paradarah svabhasundarl//10 A unified mind is killing living beings, because vitality is held to be mind; and saying ‘I will emancipate the world' is renowned as lying. The semen of women is what is not given, and others! wives are one's own beautiful radiance. 1? These verses obviously require an extensive commentary to be fully intelligible, but even a literal reading demonstrates that the antinomian passages in the tantras cannot always be taken at face value. It is universally accepted that ancient Indian didactic verse texts cannot be approached except through the medium of commentaries. No one today would propose to interpret the terse, mostly opaque stanzas of Nagarjuna's Milamadhyamakak@rika independent of its commentaries, Yet 9 Winternitz's manifest disgust with the Guhyasamaja derived from his literal interpretation of this and similar passages in the tantra (cf. Winternitz 1933b:3). 10 As Sneligrove suggests, I omit proktam in pada a. In pada e Sneligrove's text reads -chrukram, an obvious misprint. 11 My translation is based on the Yougaratnandla's comments, and it differs somewhat from Snellgrove's earlier (1959a:97) and later (1987:173) interpretations. In the earlier interpretation Snellgrove used "bliss" to translate Sukra - semen - in pada e. (Some Indian theories hold that women, too, possess semen: cf. Sapyarodaya 2.23; O'Flaherty [1981:35-39].)38 we find scholars claiming to be able to divine the original intent of the author" a tantra, If the tantras were written in ordinary, straightforward language this would be merely problematic, Given the peculiar use of language in the tantras, it is impossible. It has long been recognized that the Buddhist tantras are written in sagdhyabhaed, “intentional language "i.e., enigmatical speech in which a secret meaning is intended" (Winternitz 1999a:399 (n. 4]).1? In Hevajra 11.4144.83-67 extensive examples of this are given: "'Wine! 12 the more recent studies of samdhyabhasa are those of Bharati (1961), Wayman (1968c), and Elder (1975). Bharati (1961:270) gives a bibliography of earlier writings on the subject. Tt should be noted that samdhyabhasa is mainly used in the tantras of the anuttarayoga class, and not in those of the "lower" classes of tantra. However, most of the Seemingly antinomian passages, and the interpretive problems they cause, are found just in the anuttarayoga fantras, so the two may be fruitfully treated together. There has been interminable, mostly tedious. discussion of the proper Sanskrit form and meaning of the tern I translate as “intentional language." Although I fear I am beating a dead horse, the following observations may be helpful. It seems that both samdhy- and sangha bhaga appear in manuscripts. (In the MSS of the Vimelaprabha I used, only the former appears.) The first rd literally means "twilight" whereas the latter means mtentionai," and scholars have argued vehemently about which form and meaning are correct. However, the Tibetans franslate both forms by dgongs_pa'i, "intentional." It seems to me that samdhyabhacd itself is an example of “intentional language." Literally it means “twilight language," but in practice it refers to semantically ambiguous expression that requires interpretation to be fully understood. In the twilight realm of the language used in the tantras, ambiguity is built into the very semantic structure of ‘the system.39 is ‘passion,! ‘flesh! is ‘strength,’ ‘sandalwood’ is ‘meeting,'" and so forth. In intentional language ordinary words are given an esoteric sense, and when this secret language is employed in a text a passage can legitimately have both an exoteric and an esoteric meaning.13 This situation places our evaluation of the literal, surface meaning of a tantra on a very shaky foundation, Once we have parsed the grammar and looked up the words in our dictionaries, how are we to know on what evel, or levels, we should interpret the text? The obvious, and in my opinion only, answer is that we must resort to the commentarial traditions, both written and oral.14 13 samdhyabhasd seems to be merely a special application of the Kavya alamkara called Slesa: “pun, paronomasia, double entendre, susceptibility of a word or Bentence to yield two or more interpretations (regarded as a figure of speech and very commonly used by poets...)" (apte 1578). 14 some scholars will object to my advocacy of utilization of the oral commentarial traditions. Living Vajrayana masters are a millennium or more removed from the time of composition of the tantras and, as is well known, religious traditions change over time. However, many Vajrayana practices are only alluded to in the texts of the tantras themselves, and often the commentaries are not much help in clarifying the more obscure, and sometimes crucial, points. It is simply Gefective methodology to ignore a source as rich as the living Vajrayana tradition, a tradition that can be plausibly traced back to the very origins of Vajrayana Buddhism itself. In the investigation of historical questions ancient documents will naturally carry more weight than modern oral traditions, but in the resolution40 The use of samdhyabhaea in the tantras greatly complicates our task of understanding then. unfortunately, the issue of ianguage and meaning in the vajrayéna is even more complex. The Vimalaprabha cites the following verse from the Paramadibuddha, the Kalacakra tantra, sandhyabhasam tatha naiva rutam caiva tatha na ca/ neyarthag na ca nitrtham tantram satkotilaksanam// /agongs pa'i skad dang de bzhin min/ 731 bzhin sgra dang de bzhin min/ /arang ba'i don dang nges don te/ Yegyad ni mtha' drug mtshan nyid do/18 Tantra is characterized by the six alternatives: intentional language and that which is not; literal utterance and that which is not; provisional meaning and definitive meaning. 16 of doctrinal issues it remains to be seen whether or not this is the case 15 vimalaprabh 1.4.1 (U 35; MS B 14a/1-2; MS D 22b/2-9; BU 376/5-7). In pada c the na seems to be superfluous, but it appears in all MSS; perhaps it is only &@ verse-filler. ‘*KElacakrapada ascribes this verse to the Pradipodyotana (cf. SekoddeSatika, Peking #2070; vol. 47, 141/4/6-1). 1 am unable to locate it in the printed edition of the Sanskrit text of the Pradipodyotana. 16 Bu ston comments on this verse as follows: “Intentional language" is spoken for sentient beings who desire the supreme, by employing words that contradict the actual state of affairs of the Dharma. “That which is not" (intentional language) clearly teaches reality so ‘hat sentient beings having dull faculties may understand. “Literal utterance" extensively explains the meaning of the mandala, the realizations, and so forth. "That which ig not” (literal utterance) is the Tathagata's symbol that does not exist in the world or in treatises. “Provisional meaning" is explained in a hidden fashion to unfortunate persons. “Definitive meaning" well teaches the actuala1 This verse is closely related to a verse in the introduction to Candrakirti's commentary on the Guhyasamaja, the Pradipodyotana: sandhyaya bhaga no sanghya neyanitarthabhedatab/ yatharutag ca narutag gatkotir iti kirtitam//l Intentional language and non-intentional language, the divisions provisional and definitive meaning, and literal utterance and non-literal utterance, are renowned as the ‘six alternatives.' These "six alternatives" of explanation form only a part of an extremely elaborate system of hermeneutics developed in the Arya tradition of Guhyasam@ja exegesis. Some progress has been made in unravelling this system,!® but a great deal of further research is needed before we can claim to fully understand it.19 one important question that has not yet been fully addressed is the extent to which the six alternatives can be applied to texts outside meaning. 17 pradipodyotana 3 (verse 1.25). cf. Pradipodyotana 10. 18 see Matsunaga (1963); Wayman (1977:113-119); Steinkeliner (1978); Broido (1983 & 1965); Ruegg (1985). 19 In this endeavor western scholars can save themselves much unnecessary trouble by consulting competent Tibeten authorities. Gelugpa scholars in particular devote a major portion of their tantric studies to the investigation of the Guhyasamaja in light of the Pradipodyotana together with Tsong kha pa's subconmentary.42 the Guhyasamija corpus.20 Whatever the outcome of this problem, it is already apparent that the semantics of the Buddhist tantras preclude our being able to determine their meaning independently of the explanations of the commentarial traditions. The preceding discussion makes three main points: (1) Scientific study of Vajrayana Buddhism requires emotional neutrality on the part of the researcher. (2) Innovative interpretations of the Vajrayana must follow, not precede, an exhaustive investigation of traditional interpretations. (8) The explanations of the commentarial traditions take priority over our literal reading of the tantras. 20 rt is applied to the kEiacakra corpus by *Kalacakrapada: cf. SekoddeSatika (Peking #2070; vol. 47. 147/2/4, 147/4/3-147/8/1). *Kalacakrapada cites the Pradipodyotana, and asserts that "all tantras were made to exist as definitive meaning and provisional meaning” (rgyud thams cad kyang nges pa dang drang ba'i don du gnas par byas). Recently Ruegg has pointed out Tibetan applications of the six alternatives to the sutra literature as well (Ruegg 1985:310).43 Ghapter 5: Problems of Chronology In the History of Indian Vajrayana Buddhism The foundation of history is chronology, and in the study of Vajrayana Buddhist history we immediately encounter a problem of daunting proportions.1 our earliest evidence for the various Vajrayana systems - the texts of the tantras - are not dated, and due to the nature of the tantras themselves, except within rather wide parameters they are for the most part undatable. Like the Mabaydna sutras, the tantras are set in the form of dialogues carried on among Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and various other divinities, that take place in mythological settings unrelated to historical time. Because the tantras are strictly concerned with presenting their mystical doctrines, they almost never contain internal evidence that permits precise dating. Furthermore, the tantras, like the sutras, are generally not unified compositions; they are compilations of diverse materials that grew over time.? Thus, the texts we have received 1 For some cogent observations on the problems involved in dating Buddhist tantras, see Snellgrove (1987:183-184), For the chronology of Indian literature in general, see Winternitz (1981:21-26). 2 an extraordinarily clear example of this phenomenon is provided in Tadeuz Skorupski's critical edition of the two versions of the Sarvadurgati-44 are often only the latest redactions of works that developed gradually over the course of several centuries. This forces us to be extremely cautious when confronted with a firmly datable reference to a tantra. Such a reference may prove the contemporaneous existence of the title of the text, or a given portion of the text, but it may not certify the existence of the entire received text at that time. A comparison of the dates put forward by the two leading scholars of the Guhyasamja-tantra - Alex Wayman and Yukei Matsunaga - provides a vivid illustration of the difficulties involved in dating a Buddhist tantra, The Guhyasanaja is generally accepted by western scholars? to be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, of the parigodhana-tantra. Skorupski demonstrates that the text of this tantra was expanded through the addition of material (Skorupski 1983:xvii-xxix). For similar occurrences in other Vajrayana texts see: de Jong (1984): Matsunaga (1985). 3 My use of the expression "western scholars" is somewhat idiosyncratic. I include any scholar using what ‘ig essentially a modern European approach to the study of Buddhism within this category, regardless of his geog=aphical or ethnic origin. This seems to be justified now that Buddhism is studied in this fashion throughout the world. Thus, Japanese, Indian, and Tibetan scholars following the European critical method of Buddhist studies are "western scholars."45 tantras of the anuttarayoga tantra class.4 chronology aside, wes: n scholars and traditional scholars are agreed that doctrinally it marks an advance on the practices taught in the yoga tantras, most notably the Sarvatathagatatattvasamgraha.5 Since it appears to be a kind of watershed in the development of the Vajrayana, fixing a date for the Guhyasamfja would count as a major accomplishment. Alex Wayman has devoted an entire article, entitled “arly Literary History of the Buddhist Tantras, Especially the Guhyasanaja-tantra" (Wayman 1968), to a discussion of chronological questions in the Guhyasamaja corpus. More recently he has repeated his position, with some further substantiation of his arguments, in his book Yoga of the Guhyasam@jatantra (Wayman 1977:89-102).6 1 will give Wayman's conclusions first, and then the premises offered in support of then. 4 applying the four-fold tantra classification schene (kriya-, carya-, yoga-, and anuttarayoga-tantra) to literature of the early period of Vajrayana history is Somewhat anachronistic, but it is so convenient that it can scarcely be avoided. 5 sneligrove (1959 (1977b: XXIII); Wayman (1977:87 152, 160-181, 269-270). 206, 218); Matsunaga cf. ‘Snellgrove (1987:121, 6 actually, it appears that the book was written before the article (cf. Wayman 1968b:100), but there was a considerable delay in the publication of the book (Wayman 1977:x).46 Wayman holds that “an Explanatory Tantra (vySkhya- tantra) of the Guhyasamaja called VajramalA was composed in the fifth century A.D., and the basic tantra Guhyasamaja probably in the fourth century A.D." (Wayman 1968b:100; cf. 1977:98-99), Wayman's argument for a Sth century date for the Vajram&l4 boils down to two points: 1) the Vajramla contains "YogacGra-type vocabulary" such as is found in the Lafkava: ra-sitra; and 2) the 2nd chapter of the Vajram&la presents the ten (or perhaps only the first five, Wayman equivocates on this) avataras of Visnu in a kind of esoteric embryology (Wayman 1968b:101; 1977:97-98) .7 Wayman dates the Vajramala to the Sth century because the Lahkavatara-slitra was first translated into Chinese in the middle of that century, and because the standard list of Vignu's incarnations first appears in Bengali Anscriptions from around that time. Unfortunately, the facts do not necessarily support Wayman's thesis. Many 7 Wayman also presents an “indirect reason" why the VajramA1a should be placed in the Sth century. He theorizes that a set of 33 female prakrtis and 40 male prakrtis found in the Vajramla and the Paficakrama may be related to the Vaignava Sahajiya cult (Wayman 1968b:10: 1977:98, cf. 82-83). However, he rightly notes that “any conclusion about this matter must be of a highly speculative nature, since the early syncretisns of Buddhism and Vaignavism are obscure, and since the erotic type of Krsna worship is usually placed at a considerably later date that what we are now considering (fifth century, A.D.)" (Wayman 1977:98).47 texts that are firmly dateable to long after the Sth century contain “Yogic&ra-type vocabulary," and even today works are composed in India that refer to the ten incarnations of Vigqu. If anything, the appearance of these elements in the VairamAla might serve as evidence that the extant version of this text was redacted some time after the sth century.® Wayman realizes that "the kind of reasoning employed above might be challenged by the scholars who insist on a later date for the Guhyasamijatantra, in fact placed just prior to the historical commentaries on it" (Wayman 1977:99). He then provides evidence to support his theory that the Guhyasamaja dates to the 4th century which, he says, is “as independent as possible from the Vajramala consideration" (Wayman 1960b:102). This consists of extracts with translations from no less than eight commentaries on the Guhyasamaja, two composed by members of the Arya tradition, and six by authors Wayman counts among the JéSnapada tradition (Wayman 1968b:103-106 = 1977:99-102). The comments all purport to explain a 8 The received text of the Vajramala is probably not a unitary composition. Matsunaga believes that the 68th chapter is drawn from the Paficakrama (Matsunaga 1964:17— $9, 24; Matsunaga 1977b:XXX; de Jong 1981:109-110). I identified two verses in the VajramaJ@ that seem to be very late interpolations taken from the Vimalaprabha (Newman 1985:85 [n. 12]).48 reference to “three kinds of sense object" mentioned in the 7th chapter of the Guhyasamaja. As Wayman convincingly demonstrates, the commentators vary considerably in their explanations, but for the most part they all follow erstwhile glosses contained in the Vajramala, the Samdhivyakarana (another Guhyasamaja vyakhyatantra), and the 18th chapter of the Guhyasamaja itself. Wayman notes: What is significant about the two commentarial traditions is precisely that there are two, with many differences within each of these traditions. Just as the Sautrantika and Vaibhagika of non-tantric Buddhism could not have arisen fully-grown, in the form in which we know them, in the century immediately following the passing of the Buddha, so also the ‘Arya School! and the ‘Jianapada School’ Gould not have arisen in the century immediately following the composition of the Guhyasamaja, let alone the very same century! (Wayman 19680:103-104 = 1977:99). The Arya and the JAanapada traditions of Guhyasamaja exegesis were founded by Arya Nagarjuna and BuddhajM@napada (alias Buddhasrijifana). Wayman says, “In the second half of the eighth century we must place both the tantric Nagarjuna of the ‘Arya School' and BuddhaSrijfana of the ‘J#anapada School'" (Wayman 1968b:100; cf. 1977:96). As we will see later, Buddhajf@napada can be securely dated to the second half of the sth century, but Naga@rjuna's period is highly49 controversial. However, for the moment we will accept Wayman's dating of Nagarjuna as a working hypothesis. Returning to the eight commentators mentioned above, we note that of the two members of the Arya tradition; one is the founder Nagarjuna himself, the other is candrekirti. Thus, following Wayman's dates, Nagarjuna's explanation of the passage in question would date to the second half of the 8th century, Candrakirti's to the first half of the 9th.9 Turning to the six Jihanapada tradition commentators, one is immediately struck by the fact that the founder Buddhajfidnapada does not appear among them. Thus, all of their explanations would presumably date to some time after the second half of the sth century. Furthermore, among the six commentators cited only two- Smrtijfa@nakirti and Ratnd@karasanti - have been dated with any degree of certainty, and they both lived around the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 11th centuries. 10 Wayman says: When one takes into account that these commentaries vary much more in most other places, where the GuhyasamZja passages are not restricted by such concrete objects as the sense objects, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that some centuries 9 Wayman dates Candrakirti to the 9th century, with preference for the first half (Wayman 1968b:100; 1977:96). 10 por smptijfangkirti's period see Davidson (1981:8); for Ratndkarasanti see Ruegg (1981a:110, 111, 116, and especially 122 [n. 405]).50 of oral tradition have intervened between the basic Guhyasamajatantra and the eighth century when the ‘historical’ writers began to appear on the scene (Wayman 1968b:106 = 1977:102). I am unable to follow this line of reasoning. According to Wayman's own chronology only one of the commentaries he cites was written in the 8th century. Since the commentaries as a group were written over a period of several centuries, it is not surprising that they give difte; nt explanations of the passage in question. In brief, there is no need to posit centuries of oral tradition intervening between the GuhyasanBja and its commentaries in order to explain variation among then.1! Wayman says: What I do maintain is that the Vajram3la has the earmarks of having been composed centuries before the tantric Nagarjuna quoted it in his Paficakrama, and I tentatively place it in the fifth century. The Sandhivyakarana should tentatively be placed at about the same time, since it shows the same definite style of authoritative revealed literature. The other explanatory tantras can be roughly place there also, subject to later investigations. The above considerations leave open a date for the Guhyasanajatantra itself. I see no reason for denying it a century's priority to the Vajramala; and so, on a purely tentative basis, ascribe the 11 The most interesting aspect of the extracts Wayman has collected and translated is the actual nature of the variation within the two schools and the interaction between them, For example, Nagarjuna and his supposed disciple Candrakirti give quite different explanations of the "three kind of sense objects." Among the representatives of the Jianapada tradition, some agree with Nagarjuna's position, some agree with Candrakirti, and others go their own way.51 Guhyasamjatantra to the fourth century A.D. (Wayman 1977:98-99; cf. 1968b:106, 110). Waynan has not adduced any convincing evidence to support these hypotheses. Until such evidence is provided, his theory of a 4th century date for the Guhvasamaia can only be taken as the conjecture of a scholar who has read a great deal of the Guhyasam@ja literature. 1? yukei Matsunaga takes a different approach to dating the Guhyasamaja. Due to my ignorance of the Japanese language, I am limited to consulting his publications in English; however, these appear to provide a fair representation of his reasoning and conclusions. Matsunaga divides the received text of the Guhyasama je into two basic parts: the first seventeen chapters form the milatantra, and the eighteenth forms the uttaratantra. The milatantra itself can be divided into ‘two parts: chapters 1-12, and chapters 19-17. Matsunaga 12 7 am not alone in being unconvinced by Wayman's chronology for the early Guhyasamaja corpus. See Davidson in. 9]); Snellgrove (1987:184), Matsunaga says: Since there are analogies with the Laikavatara-sitra and Vaisnaviom in the Vajramala-tantra, which is one of the Alhyanatantras (sic) of the Guhyasamaja, a study has also appeared [Wayman (1968b)] which set the formative period of the Guhyasamaja-tantra in the 4th century. If we Concur that analogous statements were all composed at the Same time, for example, the explications of the magical Tituals of anti, Paugtika and Abhicarika etc., explained jin the Buddhist Tantras, based on the fact that they appear even in the Atharvaveda, we should be able to trace the era of Buddhist Tantrism back before the birth of Christ" (Matsunaga 1977b:XXVII).82 posits a historical progression for the compilation of the Guhyasanaja as follows: chapters 1-12 were redacted first, chapters 19-17 were appended to this, and finally chapter 18, the uttaratantra, was appended to the first seventeen chapters. This sort of development seems likely: it is supported by internal evidence in the Guhyasamaja itself, and to a certain extent it is also supported by the traditional commentators (Matsunaga 1977b:XXVITI-XXIX; de Jong 1984: 105-106). Matsunaga's theory on the date of the Guhyasandja appears to have developed over time. In the earliest of his publications accessible to me he says simply, "The compilation of the Guhyasamaja-tantra was about 800 A.D. +e." (Matsunaga 1964:895). In one of his more recent works Matsunaga presents a detailed articulation of his reasoning: Within the Samantabhadra nama sadhana and the Caturatgasadhana-samantabhadri nama of Jfanapada which are the Utpattikramas of the Jhdnapada school Some parts of the Guhyasamaja-tantra are quoted verbatin. Accordingly, the present form of the Guhyasamaja-tantra seems to have been completed at the time of Jnanapada. In recognition of the dates of Haribhadra and ggntarakgita, who were clearly contemporaries of Jhanapada and who had ties with him, Jfianapada's period of activity is placed around the latter half df the 8th century. We may also note that Vairocana, 13 This conclusion is based on arguments developed in articles written in Japanese that are referred to in the notes of the article cited.53 who was a contemporary of King Khri-srong-lde-brtsan (ca. 800), had introduced the Sampannakrama of the Ji@napada School from India to Tibet. Compositions cf Jitanapada are recorded in the Demkarma catalogue which was written around the beginning of the 9th century. In addition, since a commentary on the Guhyasamaja-uttaratantra composed by Visvamitra who belonged to the Jaanapada school and a commentary on the Guhyasam’ja-mulatantra by Vajrahdsa remain in the Tibetan canon as old translations, both commentaries must have been translated before the translations of Tantras was prohibited by King Ral-pa-can who acceded the throne in 815. For all of the above reasons we know that the Guhyasamaja-tantra including the Uttaratantra part was completed during the latter half of the 8th century when Jfanapada was active. Accordingly, we can probably conjecture that the first half of the 8th century was the formative period of the Guhyasamja-tantra while the text in its present form was completed in the latter half of the 8th century (Matsunaga 1977):KXV-KXVI) . Some of the evidence presented above is questionable,i4 put the key fact, that Buddhajfianapada flourished during the second half of the 8th century, is indisputable.15 thus, with minor reservations, /® we can 14 vor example, I am unable to find Buddha jiianapada's name or works mentioned in the 1Dan dkar catalogue, although those of two of his disciples do appear (cf. Lalou 1953:947-948). Buddhajfianapada's works @o not appear in the ‘*mantratantra (gsang sngags kyi rgyud) section of the catalogue (Lalou 1953:326). Also, even though Sad na legs attempted to control the translation of tantras, it is unlikely this had any effect on confirmed followers of the Vajrayana (cf. Sneligrove 1987:443). It appears certain that this work continued without interruption in the 9th and 10th centuries (cf. 18 see Ruegg (1981a:102). In addition to the sources cited by Ruegg, one may note that Buddha jfanapada taught Buddhaguhya, who in turn taught Vimalamitra (Davidson 1981:9 [n. 23]). Works by Buddhaguhya and Vimalamitra are listed in the 1Dan dkar catalogue, written54 set the latter half of the 8th century as a firm terminus ante quem for the received text of the Guhyasamaja.17 in 800 or 812 (Lalou 1953:347-348). (Note: Lalou has transcribed the name of the first master as "Buddhagupta," which is synonymous. Is Lalou mistaken, or is “Buddhaguhya" an incorrect reconstruction?) 16 Matsunaga notes that the text of the uttaratantra preserved in an old commentary and an old translation differs somewhat from the present form (Matsunaga 1977b:KXIX; de Jong 1984:107-108). 17 In a more recent work Matsunaga says: "Although J&anapada wrote works relating to the [Guhyasamaja- tantra], this does not allow us to assume the existence of the [Guhyasamaja-tantra] at that time, because the relations between a text and the sddhana-s and commentaries belonging to a particular school are not easy to determine. In some cases the text was written first and the sadhana-s and commentaries later. It also happened that on the basis of several sadhana~s a text would be written. Finally, a commentary expressing the opinions of a certain school was sometimes used as a basis for the fabrication of a text. In Jhanapada's works are found three verses of the [Guhyasamaja-tantra] which express some of its fundamental ideas. It is not possible to determine whether these verses were quoted by Jnanapada fron the (Guhyasamaja-tantra]. Although it is therefore not certain that by 800 A.D. the (Guhyasamaja-tantra] had already taken its present form, it must have existed in that period as an independent text, or at least in such a form that it provided sufficient basis for the formation of the text" (de Jong 1984:107). Matsunaga's points about the difficulty of determining the relations among texts in a tantra corpus are well taken, but his reluctance to assert the 6th century existence of the Guhyasamaja seems overcautious. Kenneth W. Eastman has demonstrated that the Tun-huang manuscript of a Tibetan trausiation of the Guhyasamaja represents a dynastic period work, and thus the Sanskrit text it is based on probably predates the end of the 6th century (cf. Eastman 1981a; Snellgrove 1987:183 [n. 119]). In the Deb ther sngon po 'Gos gZhon nu dpal attributes an early translation of the Guhyasaraja to Lo tsa ba lCe bkra shes, and notes that during the early period of the spread of Buddhism in Tibet lamas counted the Guhyasamdja as55 Matsunaga goes further, and attempts to establish a terminus post quem for the GuhyasamAja as well. As just cited, he says “we can probably conjecture that the first half of the 8th century was the formative period of the Guhyasamaja-tantra..." The main evidence for this hypothesis is the fact that Amoghavajra, an early Indian Vajrayana missionary in China, mentions the Guhyasamaja: According to the traditions in China and Japan, the Tattvasamgraha-siitra is thought to correspond with the first section of the Chin-kang-ting-ching series which consists of a hundred thousand verses and eighteen sections preached in eighteen synods. An outline of the eighteen sections is said to be noted fn the Chin-kang-ting-ching-yu-chung-shih-pa-lui- chih-kuei as translated into Chinese by Amoghavajra who had been in India between 744 and 746 A.D. The name 'Guhyasamaja-yoga' and a brief explanation of this text does appear in the fifteenth section of the Shih-pa-lui-chih-kuei. If this 'Guhyasamaja-yoga' corresponds to the Guhyasanéja-tantra, we must set the date of this Tantra before 746 A.D. (Matsunaga 1977: KKITI-RKIV) - Matsunaga explains that “a comparison of Amoghavajra's description with the (Gubyasan@ja-tantra] shows that the correspondence is linited to the title, the place of preaching and the teachings found in chapter five of the (Guhyasam@ja-tantra]." Based on this he concludes that “At the time of Amoghavajra (700-750) the {Guhyasanéja- tantra} had not been composed yet" (de Jong 1984:107). Again: chief among their eighteen classes of tantras (Deb ther sagon po 437; Roerich 1949:359).56 The original source for the Guhyasamja-tantra can be detected in the Shih-pa~hui-chih-kuei translated by ‘Amoghavajra. The latter returned to China from India in 746 A.D. carrying numerous Sanskrit texts. However, the Guhyasamaja-tantra presently in existence could certainly not have been completed at this time [emphasis added]. Aside from mythological origins, the Anuttarayoga-tantra must have prospered only after the middle of the eighth century, as witnessed in historical documents (Matsunaga 1977a: XVIII). Matsunaga's reasoning runs as follows: ‘The accounts in the fifteenth section of the Shih-pa- jui-chih-kuei have the color of Anuttarayoga-tantra ‘and the influences of the above Yoga-tantra [i.e. ‘the Tattvasamgraha] seem strong. In comparison with this Yoga-tantra text, the present form of the Guhyasamaja-tantra is not thought to have existed at the time of the Shih-pa-lui-chih-kuei, but the original text must be considered to have been formed. {mn the first half of the 8th century which was still a flourishing period for Yoga-tantra, the Guhyasamaja-tantra as an Anuttarayoga-tantra was not completed, but we can probably say it had been in its formative stage. In the Chinese and Tibetan translations of Buddhist texts of this period, there appear only the Kriya, Carya and Yoga-tantras. Anuttarayoga-tantras cannot be found at all (Matsunaga 1977b:XXIV) . In reading Matsunaga's writings on the Guhyasanéja one is immediately struck by the persistence with which he attempts to historically segregate the Guhyasam@ja as an anuttarayoga tantra from the yoga tantras, most notably the Tattvasamgraha: Surprisingly, apparently only a very short timespan was involved before the [Tattvasangraha] developed into Anuttarayoga-tantra by the end of the eighth century, for both Carya- and Yoga-tantras were still flourishing at the end of the previous century. We do know that by the first half of the seventh century many texts of the Kriya-tantra class had been87 developed, and that the Anuttarayoga-tantras were established after the second half of the eighth century (Matsunaga 1977a:KIX; cf. de Jong 1984:92). In fact, any attempt to historically distinguish texts based on the four-fold classification system (which itself appears to have become current only in the 11th century) 18 is unworkable for the 8th century when texts counted among all of these classes are well attested. Furthermore, Matsunaga's only reason for asserting that "the Guhyasamaja-tantra as an Anuttarayoga-tantra was not completed" during the first half of the 8th century seems to be that this would conflict with his own preconceived notion of the historical development of Vajrayana Buddhism. Matsunaga denies that a fully-developed Guhyasama ja could have existed at the time of Amoghavajra because at that time there were no anuttarayoga tantras. The circularity of this reasoning is obvious. In an attempt to break out of this circle he notes that Amoghavajra's brief description of the "Guhyasamaja-yoga" only contains information that corresponds to the title, the place of preaching (i.e., the introduction to the ist chapter), and the Sth chapter of the received text of the Guhyasamaja. As we will see below, there is reason to believe 18 cf, sneligrove (1987:462-462, 475, 504-05).58 Amoghavajra deliberately limited himself to a brief description of the Guhyasamija. In any case, Amoghavajra's description of the Guhyasamaja cannot serve as evidence that the fully-developed form of the tantra did not exist during the first half of the 8th century; it can only serve as proof that certain portions of the received text of the Guhyasamaja did exist at that time. The other evidence Matsunaga puts forward in his attempt to prove anuttarayoga tantra (to use the anachronism) did not exist during the first half of the ath century is that “In the Chinese and Tibetan translations of Buddhist texts of this period Anuttarayoga-tantras cannot be found at all. Anuttarayoga tantras cannot be found among the Tibetan translations of the first half of ath century because such translations do not exist. Although a number of dynastic period translations are preserved in the Tun-huang manuscripts, the Kanjur and Tanjur, and other text collections (notably the rNying ma rgyud ‘bum), none of them have been dated prior to the reign of Khri srong lde brtsan. In fact, there is no certain evidence that Tibetans began translating Indian Buddhist texts until that time, i.e., the second half of the 8th century. Turning to the Chinese translations, it is noteworthy that there are no “anuttarayoga tantras" among the Chinese59 translations dating from the first half of the eighth century. However, an argument from silence can prove a thesis only when one can establish that, if something had existed, it would necessarily make itself known. In the case of the early Chinese translations of Vajrayana texts, no anuttarayoga tantras are found among them because they were suppressed. In a brilliant essay entitled "The Bighteen Tantras of the Vajragekhara/Mayajala," Kenneth W. Eastman has convincingly demonstrated that it is highly probable that a massive Vajrayana corpus (including the Guhyasamaja and other tantras containing evocative imagery) was taken to China by Vajrabodhi (661-732), but due to socio-political conditions in China, it could not be translated in its entirety. 19 To conclude our discussion of Matsunaga's dates for the Guhyasamaja, his establishment of the second half of the eth century as the terminus ante quen for the received text of the tantra is well-reasoned and based on solid evidence. However, Matsunaga's hypothesis that a fully~ developed Guhyasan&ja could not have existed during the first half of the 8th century does not bear scrutiny. 19 gastman (1981a), (1981b). When anuttarayoga tantras were translated into Chinese around the end of the 10th century, the erotic, horrific, and disgusting imagery that is so characteristic of these texts was either censored or disguised in euphemisms, as noted above in Chapter 4.60 Even if we ignore Zastman's essay (which, it should be noted, appeared after Matsunaga's studies were published), Matsunaga has not presented any cogent evidence precluding the existence of the tantra at that time. On the contrary, Amoghavajra's description of a text dealing with the "Guhyasam@ja yoga,” and referring to doctrines common to the extant GuhyasamAja, is a clear indication that some kind of Guhyasam@ja-tantra existed early in the 6th century, although we cannot determine its contents in any detail. Dating Buddhist tantras is extremely problematic. We are very fortunate when we are able to establish historically useful termini ante quem for these mystically-inspired texts; at this point in our research determining a terminus post quem for a particular tantra is likely to be nothing but conjecture. 20 When we consider the dates of the vajracaryas responsible for introducing and propagating Vajrayana systems the situation is equally problematic. To illustrate this we will briefly examine the case of one important Vajrayana master - Arya Nagarjuna. The same sort of treatment could be applied to others. 20 the Sri Kalacakra is the rare, perhaps sole, exception to this rule; see Newman (1985:35 (n. 13]), (1987:100 [n. 24]).61 As noted above, Arya Nagarjuna is the founder of the Arya tradition of Guhyasamaja practice and exegesis. His most important writings are the Guhyasamd jatantra Ika and the Paiicakrama. The Indo-Tibetan Vajrayana tradition holds that this master is identical to the author of the Mijamadhyamakakarik’s and other early Madhyamaka works. As is well known, Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions hold that Nagarjuna lived for many centuries by means of the practice of alcheny.21 Thus, the Indo- Tibetan Vajrayana tradition believes that a single Nagarjuna founded both the systematized Madhyamaka and the Rrya tradition of Guhyasamaja exegesis, and greatly extended his life through the practice of alchemy. As would be expected, western scholars have met this explanation with disbelief, and occasional scorn. Although no one has established a definite date for the author of the Mdlamadhayamakakarikas, scholars have opted for the ist, 2nd, or 3rd centuries A.D. (Ruegg 1981a:4-5 [n. 11]; ef. 1982:505-507). It is believed that works such as the Guhyasamaja (not to mention the Paficakrama, 21 This belief was already current in India at the time of Hsuan-tsang's visit in the middle of the 7th century (cf. Beal 1884:2.212). Taranatha records some views that are remarkable for their precision: one school held that Nagarjuna lived to the ripe old age of 529; another thought that was too short, he actually lived to be 571. Tarandtha's own Indian teachers appear to have favoured the latter figure (Chimpa 1970:110).62 etc.) did not exist at such an early time because no evidence suggests their existence. Taking it a priori that human beings cannot live six centuries, western scholars assume that two, three, or perhaps four Nag@rjunas must have been responsible for all the activities carried out under this name. All agree that Nagarjuna I is the author of the earliest stratum of Madhyamaka literature ascribed to this name, but difficulties arise when one tries to determine what portion of "Nagarjuna’ tantric and alchemical works belong to a given period. The literature produced by western scholars grappling with this problem is voluminous; we cannot attempt to deal with it systematically here.2? Below I list the dates recently proposed for Arya Nagarjuna, i.e., the Vajrayana author, and briefly examine their evidential and logical foundations. (1) 400 A.D.: Chr. Lindtner says, "I find it quite likely that the author of [the Guhyasamajatantratixa] is identical with the author of the Paficakrama..., a work which is already cited in Madhyamakaratnapradipa, ca. 22 For a helpful bibliography of studies on the names, lineages, and dates of Indian Vajrayana masters see Ruegg (1981a:108 [n. 333]).63 570... As a mere working hypothesis I would at present suggest that this ‘Nagarjuna II,' i.e., the tantrika or giddha flourished ca. 400 A.D." (Lindtner 1982a:11 [n. 12}); ef. 1982b:176-177). Lindtner points out that “Nagarjuna II...[is] usually, but not always, considered to have lived one or several centuries later than the sixth. But, again, I can see no compelling arguments in support of adopting such a chronology” (Lindtner 1982b:177). This is a valuable observation, as we will see below. However, Lindtner's own date for Arya Nagarjuna depends completely on his dating of the Madhyamakaratnapradipa. Ruegg argues forcefully against Lindtner's ascription of authorship and early dating of this text (Ruegg 1981: 6, 106 [n. 399]; 198 13, 530). We do not have space to review this controversy here, but we must agree with Ruegg that Lindtner's dating of this text creates many more problems than it solves. (2) 7th century: David Seyfort Ruegg says, "[Arya Nagarjuna] seems to have lived in the seventh (or at the latest in the eighth) century" (Ruegg 1981a:104). In a slightly more recent publication he is more definit: "...we have very good reason to believe [that the Deutero- Nagarjuna] lived no later than the seventh century" (Ruegg 1982:811), Ruegg's evidence in support of his theory is64 that “I-ching (635-713), who left Tamralipti about 685, already mentions Nagarjuna's having studied the Vidyadharapitaka" (Ruegg 198: 24 [n. 20] = 1981a:104 [n. 330]).23 Ruegg believes "This Nagarjuna-pada, also one of the Siddhas, played a leading role in the development of the synthesis of the Madhyamaka and Vajrayana which cane into prominence at that time; and he is presumably to be identified with the source of the Arya-tradition of the Guhyasam@jatantra" (Ruegg 1982:511). Again, "...he was most probably the author...of the commentary on the Guhyasamaja (the Tantratika) and of the Paficakrama, and thus the founder of the Arya lineage belonging to the Guhyasamaja tradition" (Ruegg 1981a:105). Ruegg's association of Arya Nagarjuna (the author of the Guhyasamaja literature) with the Nagarjuna mentioned by T- ching appears to stand or fall on whether or not the Guhyasamaja was included in a vidvadharapitaka during the 7th century. Given the present state of our knowledge this is uncertain at best. (3) 8th century (second half): Wayman says, “In the second half of the eighth century we must place both the 23 one may also note that a Chinese biography of the Indian Vajrayana missionary Punyodaya (Chinese: Na-t!!), composed between 664-667, preserves a report that Pupyodaya was a disciple of Nagarjuna (Lin 1935:89).65 tantric Nagarjuna of the ‘Arya School' and Buddhagri jiana of the 'Jfanapdda School'" (Wayman 1968b:100). Again, “padmavajra would fall in the second half of the eighth century, just as do the tantric Nagarjuna of the Arya school and Buddhagrijfana of the Jianapada school" (Wayman 197 6). Wayman's dating of Arya Nagarjuna ultimately depends on his interpzetation of the legends of Indrabhiti, who is traditionally held to have introduced the Guhyasandja. Unfortunately, western scholars and traditional scholars are agreed that there were at least two Indrabhittis. The hagiographies depicting these individuals are if anything even more murky and problematic than those of Nagarjuna, and thus they do not form a solid foundation for the solution of our problem. (4) 9th century (or later): Matsunaga says, "In regards to the period of the Tantrists Nagarjuna and Candrakirti, according to some lineages which were transmitted in Tibet, we can presume that these Siddhas were living between the 9th century?4 and the middle of the 11th century. Bu-ston also concurs that the Saint [i.e., Arya] 24 Matsunaga cites G. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, vol. 1, p. 214. However, the guru lineages Tucci Tists contain a number of unresolved problems (cf. Tucci 1949:231).66 school prospered in this same period.?5 In comparison with the Jfanapada school whose founding is placed at the latter half of the 8th century, we will probably have to recognize that the Saint school was established at a later period" (Matsunaga 1977b:XXX-XXXI). In a more recent publication he says, "The 'Phags-lugs [i.e., the Arya tradition] flourished around 1000 A.D." (de Jong 198. 11). Matsunaga's reliance on Tibetan hagiographical materials here is an anomaly. His general approach is to avoid it altogether in favor of studying primary texts in Sanskrit, and Chinese and Tibetan translations. His more usual attitude is summed up in his statement that, "The origin of Tantriem is related in Indian and Tibetan legends in the form of myths as is only natural in the history of a mystical religion. Today it is necessary to search for the origin of Tantrism through historical documents and materials that are detached from such mythological traditions" (Matsunaga 1977a:VII; cf. 1977 XXVI-XXVII). We should apply similar methodological principles to the Indo-Tibetan legends concerning Arya Nag&rjuna. Unless we are able establish external criteria 25 watsunaga cites Bu-ston, gSang ba'i sao ‘byed, fols. 38, 39.67 as a control, it is better not to use hagiography for chronological purposes. 26 As Wayman points out, "It simply is not possible yet to pinpoint with accuracy the date of Nagarjuna as 645 A.D., the date given by B. Bhattacharyya in the introduction (p. xxx) to his edition of the Suhvasandja" (Wayman 1977:69). In fact, in the more than fifty years that have passed since Bhattacharyya's work was published scholars have not even come to a consensus on which century Arya Nagarjuna lived.27 When one considers that more effort has been applied to the study of Arya Nagarjuna than any other of the early siddhas, it is 26 of course hagiography is our main source of information on many obscure aspects of Vajrayana history. It tells us a great deal about the Vajrayana tradition's own view of its origins and development, and it is invaluable for this reason alone. Used judiciously it can even provide us with solid historical facts when external evidence corroborates its testimony. Unfortunately, many scholars, especially earlier in this century, have used this material indiscriminately, simply citing this or that chos 'byung to prove a point. The manifest confusion created by this practice has led some scholars to believe that all Indo-Tibetan hagiography is historically worthless, which is certainly not the case. 27 Guhyasamaja works by Arya Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, candrakirti and other members of the Arya’ tradition were translated by Rin chen bzang po (958-1085) and others of this period (cf. Snellgrove 1987:477-479). Thus, we know that Arya Nagarjuna and his school flourished sone time prior to the beginning of the 11th century.68 obvious that we are a long way from a reliable chronology of the early masters of the Vajrayana. Establishing a workable chronology for the different Vajrayana systems and the masters that taught them is the most urgent desideratum in the study of Indian Vajrayana Buddhism. Until sone basic landmarks are determined it will impossible to discuss the development of the Vajrayana in historical terms. There is no lack of source materials for these studies, but extracting historical information from then requires a great deal of effort and patience. An integrated approach to this problem is required. A basic tantra should be studied in conjunction with the full range of its commentarial and allied literature. The relationships that exist among the texts in a tantric corpus often shed a great deal of light upon the development and relative chronology of a tantric school. Information gained in this way can be compared and supplemented with the traditional hagiographic accounts of the school. When available, external data - manuscript and translators! colophons, travellers! accounts, inscriptions, iconography, etc. - should be fully utilized, Once a tantric tradition has been studied in this fashion it will be possible to make informed69 statements about what can be known of its origins and historical development. ‘The different Buddhist tantras did not originate and develop in isolation. They present a common world view that allows us to treat the Vajrayana tradition as a unified whole. When a sufficient number of individual Vajrayana systems ‘have been thoroughly investigated and compared, it will become possible to write a history of Indian Vajrayana Buddhism. As a contribution towards that distant goal, the following chapter examines the origin and development of the Kalacakra in India.10 chapter 6: The History of the Kalacakra in India In an article entitled “A Brief History of the Kalacakra" (Newnan 1985) I traced the entire history of this Vajrayna tradition from its inception through to the present. There is no need to repeat all of that information here, especially since much of it is drawn from the portions of the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabh@ that are translated in the second part of this dissertation. Instead we will examine the history of the Kalacakra in India, the land of the Kalacakra's birth and early development. In particular, we will focus on the early history of the Kalacakra in India because it is the most problematic and important period in the formation of the system, The first masters of the tradition Aisguised themselves with pseudonyms. As a result, the Indian oral traditions recorded by the Tibetans contain a mass of contradictions. Nevertheless, when external criteria such as textual references and colophons are used as controls, much sound historical information can be extracted from these legends. Information obtained in this way provides a working historical framework for the study of the KSlacakra literature. According to the Yimalaprabha and the Kalacakra tradition, the Buddha taught the Kalacakra tantra at Srin Dha@nyakataka.! Dhanyakataka was the site of a huge marble stupa located at what is now the village of Amaravati in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh. Although the stupa was razed for building materials by a petty raja at the beginning of the 19th century, enough pieces of it remain in museums in India and Europe to show that it was one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. Inscriptions found at the site date later additions to the stupa to the 2nd century A.D., but the core was probably much older. The region around the Dhanyakataka stupa was the homeland of various Buddhist schools that played an importent role in the development of Mahayana Buddhism.? It is likely that one of these schools, the Caitikas, were 30 called because they were based at the caitya (= stupa) of Dhanyakataka. A late commentary to the Kathavatthu, the Nikdyasamgraha, attributes the fabrication of a gigantic Vajrayana corpus to one of the Andhra schools, 1 For more on this see: Hoffmann (1973); Newman (1985:52-84), (1987:93, 97). (N.B.: In note 23 of the last article cited strike the second sentence and read: "These quotations do not appear in the Vimalaprabha.") Dhanyakataka is spelled dhanakataka at Vimalaprabha III.1.8 (MS B 96b/6; Bu 2.247/2-3); the two forms are synonyms . 2 see Beal (1884:2.223-227), Tucci (1930:153 [n. 11), Saikrtyayana (1934), Warder (1980:299, 326-330, et seg.), Chandra (1984).2 the Vajraparvatas, and notes that this tradition wes introduced to Sri Lanka in the 9th century (Chandra 1984:106-110). The Matijuérimfilakalpa, a Vajrayana text containing materials of varying antiquity, makes special mention of Dhanyakataka as a place to practice tantra.? The early Buddhist traditions concerning Dhanyakataka require more research before we can say anything definite about this region's actual role in the early history of the Vajrayana. However, it is clear that the KAlacakra tradition holds that the Vajrayana originated at Sri Dhanyakataka. 4 the $ri-Kalacakratantrottara-tantrahrdaya-nama says: /grub pa rnams kyi dpal idan ‘bras phung chos kyi dbyings su stobs beu'i stobs mnga' sangs rgyas pa yi rgyud rnams bstan/(Peking #5; vol. 1, 180/1/5). (the Buddha) possessing the might of the ten powers teaches the Buddhist tantras in the sphere of phenomena at Sri Dhanya for the adepts. Naro says in the Paramarthasaygraha: 3 See sahkrtyayana (1934:212; cf. 199 [n. 1], 202, 206, 208). Hsuan-tsang records a curious story about Bhavaviveka's practice of a yvajrapanidharani at Dhanyakataka (Beal 1864:2.225-226). 4 For more on this see Hoffmann (1973), In this article Hoffmann has edited and translated the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts of a passage from the Kalacakra milatantra dealing with the Buddha's first teaching of the Kalacakra at Dhanyakataka. 5 My translation is tentative: lacking the Sanskrit or a commentary it is difficult to make sense out of the verses of this text.13 ...éridhdnye niyatamantranayadedanas thane nahasukhavase vajradhatumahamandale vejrasimbasane sthitah... .apal dan ‘bras spungs su nges par sngags kyi {tshul bstan pa ste gnas bde ba chen po'i gnas su rdo @byings Kyi dkyil 'khor chen por rdo rje seng ge'i khri la bzhugs pa... (Paramarthasangraha (S) 3; (1) 106/3/2-3). [The Bhagavan] dwelt at Sri Dhanya, the definite place of the teaching of the mantra system, in the Ebode of great bliss, the great mandala of the sphere of vajra, on the vajra lion throne... Likewise, Sadhuputra $ridharananda says in the Sekodesat ippan: gydhrakiite pi naitreyah prajfaparamitanayan/ Guddho mantranayam Suddham Sridhanye deéayigyati// iti vacanad bhagavatah Sridhanya eva mantranayadedana/ anyadege punar yat tantradhimukto ganas. tad abhiprayena daéabhiimisvaranahabodhisattvah Sangitikadro ‘nyo va tat tantradeganam vistarena karoti//(Asiatic Society of Bengal MS #10744 1b/5: ef. Shastri [1917:161-152].) /eya rgod phung por byams pas kyang/ /shes rab pha rol phyin tshul dang/ /sangs rgyas sngags tshul dag pa ni/ /épal idan ‘bras spungs su ston 'gyur/ Yzhes pa'i gsungs las na//bcom Idan ‘das kyis dpal ‘bras spungs kho nar sngags kyi tshul bstan pa yin no//gnas gzhan rnans su slar yang//rgyud la mos pa'i skye bo gang yin pa de'i bsam pas sdud par byed pa po sa beu'i dbang phyug byang chub sems dpa' chen po tnams kyis//gzhan du'n/ de nyid du rgyud rgyas par ston par mdzad pa yin no/ (Peking #2069; vol. 47, 137/3/2-7) tWaitreya will also teach the perfection of wisdom system at Grdhrakita, and the Buddha will teach the pure mantra system at Sri Dhanya.//' Prom the Bhagavan's statement we know that, just as the mantra system was taught at Sri Dhanya, later, in another region, in accordance with the disposition of a person who admires tantra, another redactor - a™ great bodhisattva who is a lord of the ten stages- or the same one, extensively teaches the tantra.® Tarandtha gets quite indignant that someone should suggest another site for the first preaching of the Vajrayana: It is well known among the scholars that Sri Dhanyakataka was the place where the Mantrayana was originally preached. But what is written in the glosses by some older Tibetan scholars in defiance of {his is unknown in India, To write that this place~ ‘the name of which should be Known even to the foolish Tibetans - was called Saddharma-megha~ Yisdlagadja is only due to a bias for what is baseless and to the tendency of placating (older scholars). This is nothing but the way in which fools befool other fools. Sensible persons do not take it as a serious statement at all" (chimpa 1970:348). It ie likely that early Kalacakra masters such as Naro, Sa@dhuputra, and the author of the Vimalaprabh3 were aware of traditions linking Dhanyakataka to the origin of the Vajrayana, It is not surprising that the Kalacakra, the culmination and synthesis of Indian Vajrayana Buddhism, was associated with a place of such renown. According to the Kalacakra tradition, the Kalacakra tantra was taken from Dhanyakataka to Sambhala by sucandra, the Dharma King of Sambhala. In Sambhala the 6 1 have opted to translate according to the Sanskrit here. The Tibetan translation gives this passage an entirely different sense, and requires a radical remodeling of the Sanskrit grammar.5 Klacakra was preserved and propagated for many centuries before it was reintroduced into India.7 With the introduction of the Kalacakra into India, we descend from the pristine realm of myth and enter the mists of history. As I will demonstrate below, the K@lacakra system first appeared in India at the beginning of the 11th century. However, it is difficult to establish the events surrounding the introduction and early spread of the system. As a basis for discussion, I give below a translation of the account of the history of the Kalacakra in India appearing in Bu ston Rin chen grub's Rin chen gces pa'i ide nig. Bu ston set this account in writing in 1929, but the sources he drew on are much older, some of them being based on oral traditions ultimately going back to the very birth of the Kalacakra tradition, Bu ston recounts the history of the Kdlacakra as it was recorded in two of the 7 yor the primary legends concerning Sambhala see Newnan (1985:54-65, 81), much of which is drawn from Vimalaprabha 1.3, §ri_Kalacakra I.150-170, and other portions of the cexts translated in Part II. For Tibetan and Western reactions to these legends (and for discussion of the guidebooks to Sambhala) see Edwin M. Bernbaum's works cited in the bibliography. ‘As stated in a previous publication (Newnan 1985:83— 84 [n.4]), I believe "Sambhala" is special name for the Vighur Kingdon centered at Khocho that flourished ca. 950- 1250. My reasons for adhering to this theory are complicated, and cannot be developed here. I intend to present a detailed treatment of the mythopoetic and historical status of Sambhala in a future publication.16 main Klacakra lineages in Tibet: the Rwa tradition and the 'Bro tradition, The Rwa tradition originated with the Tibetan translator Rwa Chos rab, who translated the Sri KAlacakra, the Vimalaprabha, and other Kalacakra texts with the Newari pandit SamantaSri around the end of the Jith century. The 'Bro tradition started with the Tibetan translator 'Bro Shes rab grags; he translated Kalacakra texts with the Kashmiri pandit Somandtha somewhat earlier in the 11th century. Following the translation of Bu ston's text, I will analyze and explain some of its inforration.® [Bu ston:] According to the Rwa tradition, the Klacakra and related texts famed as the Bodhisattva 8 ‘the following is a translation of Rin chen gces pa'i lde mig 56/3-61/2. mKhas grub's TG 167-173 corresponds verbatim to Bu ston's version of the Rwa tradition account, but it differs slightly in the 'Bro lineage account. The differences are mainly in the form of additional information, and I have inserted this as annotations in my translation. (The present translation supercedes my earlier translation in Newman 1985:66-71.) mKhas grub's text was translated by Georges de Roerich (1932:18-22). Roerich's translation is splendid, especially when one considers when he did it. I hope my translation is an improvement on Roerich's - in any case, the journal his work was published in is extremely rare and difficult to obtain. Those with an appetite for more information about the introduction and spread of the Kalacakra in India should see 'Gos gZhon nu dpal's Deb ther sngon po 885-899, which Roerich (1949:753-766) has reliably translated.1 corpus® appeared in India during the simultaneous reigns of three kings. Taking Vajrasanat0 as the center, the three kings were: Dehapala, the Master of Elephants, in the East; Jaugaigapa, the Master of Men, in the South; and Kanauj, the Master of Horses, in the West.1+ at that time 9 yang chub sems_dpa'i skor; also referred to as the sems3_‘grel_skor qsum - "the corpus of the three podhisattva commentaries,” the byang chub sems _dpa'i_‘grel pa rnams - the Bodhisattva Commentaries, and other similar forms. These three tantra commentaries are: (1) Yimalaprabha by Kalki Pundarika. (2) Hevajrapindarthatika (Peking #2310) by Bodhisattva Vajragarbha. abhidharid-uddhrta—laghutantra-pingarthavivarana ‘ing #2117) by Bodhisattva Vajrapani. These texts comment on the abridged tantras (laghutantra) of the Kalacakra, Hevajra, and Samvara systems respectively, and the latter two commentaries explain their tantras in accordance with the special ideas of the KSlacakra. All three commentaries have stylistic and doctrinal features in common, including passages that correspond virtually verbatim. All three refer to and Gite the Paranadibuddha, The latter two commentaries are called pindarthatika and pindarthavivarai As the Tibetan translators have shown, these phrases both mean "a commentary on the condensed meaning However, {information presented below leads me to believe they can also be translated as "a commentary according to the ‘thought of Pingo." 10 Buddh Gaya in present-day Bihar. 11 =pehapala" (de ha pa la) could be a corruption for Devapala, the Pala king who reigned c. 812-850 (Sircar 1977:967). faugafigapa" (Jau ganga pa) is unidentified, but there were a number of Gafiga dynasties in the south. Kanauj is not the name of a king, but of the imperial city of Kanyakubja on the upper Ganga, The information in the text appears to be useless for chronological purposes.18 the great pandit cilu!? who mastered the Tripitaka, was born in Orissa, one of the five countries of Eastern India. ilu etudied all the Buddhist texts at the Ratnagiri vihdra,19 vikramaéi1a,'* and Walanda.18 In that was particular, he studied at the Ratnagiri vihar: undamaged by the Turks.1© cilu realized that, in general, in order to achieve Buddhahood in a single life one needs the Mantraydna, and in particular, that he needed the clarifications of these doctrines contained in the Bodhisattva Commentaries. Knowing that these teachings were extant in Sambhala, and depending on the instruction of his deity, he joined up with traders who sought jewels in the ocean, The traders were setting out across the sea, so after agreeing to meet up after six months, Cilu and they went separate ways. 12 ib, Tsi lu. 13 the ruins of Ratnagiri vih3ra are located about 78 kilometers northeast of Cuttack in the Cuttack District, Orissa. Excavations at the site found large quantities of Mahayana and Vajrayana art. Taranatha Sttributes the foundation of this vihdra to a king Buddhapakea (Chimpa 1970:144). 14 the site of Vikramasila has not yet been established, but Antichak, Bhagalpur District, Bihar is a possibility (Huntington 1984: 125-126) . 15 ib. Nd lendra. The extensive ruins of Nalanda are located in the Nalanda District, Bihar. 16 qurks did not invade Orissa until around the end of the 12th century.9 cilu proceeded in stages. Finaily, after climbing a mountain, he met aman, The man asked him, “Where are you going?" Cilu replied, "I am going to Sambhala in search of the Bodhisattva Corpus." The man said, "It is extremely difficult to go there, but if you can understand it, you could listen to it even here." Cilu realized that the man was an emanation of Mafijuéri. He prostrated, offered a mandala, and requested instruction. The man gave all the initiations, the tantra commentaries, and the oral instructions to Cilu. He grasped Cilu, placed a flower on top of his head, and biessed him, saying “Realize the entire Bodhisattva Corpus!" Thus, like water poured from one vessel into another, Cilu realized the entire Bodhisattva Corpus. He went back the way he had come, met with the traders, and returned to Eastern India. Another tradition’? says the pandit Cilu was the son of a yogi, and that his father led him to Sambhala. There they met a handsome monk, an emanation of Avalokitesvara. With his blessing Cilu was able to memorize a thousand verses each day. Having memorized all the tantra commentaries, he returned to India where he became 18 renowned by his ordination name "Cilupa. 17 rt 4s unclear what this “other tradition" is, but I suspect it is a variant within the Rwa tradition. 18 pip, Tsi lu pa.80 Later Cilupa resided in the capital of the king of Kataka.19 He had three disciples. Because his disciples asked him, he wrote the tantra commentaries down in a volume. One of the disciples remained ordinary, but another, *Jinakaragupta,?° gained siddhi. The third, Pido Acdrya" or "Pindi Aca@rya,"?1 born in Bengal in Eastern India, became a great scholar who comprehended and realized the entire Bodhisattva Corpus. At that time another king made war on Kataka, so the master and his disciples hid all the texts of the tantras and commentaries in a pit and fled. when the war subsided and they looked for the books, they found that the last halves of the commentaries on Samvara and Hevajra were missing. The disciples asked Cilupa to rewrite the missing portions, but he refused, saying that since the 19 ib, Ka ta ka; modern Cuttack in Orissa. 20 ib. rGyal ba'i 'byung gnas sbas pa. 21 Below we find the form "Pinga Acarya." I believe this is the correct form. In the vernacular nominative declension it appears as "Pingo" - see below. In his Dus ‘khor tik chen mKhas grub gives these names as "Pi to ted rya" or "Pandi ta a ts rya" (TC 169/2), and seems to prefer the latter (TC 169/4). This corruption has gained sone currency among Gelugpa authors.at gakinis hed hidden them it was improper to write them again.22 cilupa then returned to Eastern India. Later Pinda Ac&rya taught the Bodhisattva Corpus to Acdrya *Kdlacakrapada the Elder,?9 wno was born in varendra.24 *Kalacakrapada the Elder understood and experienced the teachings as the previous masters had. Some say that *Kalacakrapada was able to ask for Whatever he wished due to a vision of Tara, and that in dependence on the instructions of Tara he went to Sambhala. 0n the way he was met by Avalokitedvara, who lea him to the mandala house in the sandalwood grove at Kalapa. There he was initiated and given explanations of the tantra commentaries and the books that contained them. *Kalacakrapada returned to Eastern India and lived at *Phullahari.2§ among his disciples the four best were 22 1g0s gzhon nu dpal offers some sound arguments contradicting this part of the Rwa account: Deb ther sngon po 898, cf. 896; Roerich (1949:764-765, cf. 762-763). 2a Tib, Dus zhabs pa chen po. 24 varendra is an old name for Northern Bengal. 25 vib. Me tog khyim. Phullahari was the name of Naro's hermitage near Nalanda. My reconstruction is conjectural; other possibilities are Kuéumapura or Puspapura, old names for modern Patna in Bihar.82 *KZlacakrapada the Younger, *Vinayakaramati, *Siphadvaja, and *Ananta. 6 +K@lacakrapada the Younger was born in the East in the Mafjuha region.?7 some hold he was identical to Dharmakara, but this is unacceptable because Dharmakara was the disciple of sadhuputra, and therefore is later. The Rwa tradition says that *Kalacakrapada the Younger taught the Bodhisattva Corpus to Ratnakera, who taught it at Nalanda. However, previous lamas have said that the two were friends, and that *Kalacakrapada the Younger erected a Kalacakra temple at Nalanda and attracted many pandits as his disciples. These lamas said that since this correlates with other lineages, there is no need to mention Ratnakara.?9 ‘*Kalacakrapada the Younger thought that if the Kalacakra was propagated in Magadha it would spread 26 gib.; Dus zhabs chung ba; 'Dul ba 'byung gnas blo gros; Seng ge rgyal mtshan; mTha' yas. 27 Unidentified; Northern Bengal? 28 there were_at least two pandits with names beginning with “Dharmakara” who lived during this period, Dharmakaranati and Dharmakerasanti. The latter is more likely: two of Sadhuputra's works were apparently written for Dharmakaraéanti (Chimpa 1970:308 [n. 18]; cf. 316). See also Grénbold (1982:343, etc.). 29 »Ratndkara" refers to Ratnakaradanti, or Santi, a famous scholar who lived during the 10th-11th centuries; see below.83 everywhere. During the period when The One Having A Wooden Seat30 was ruling Magadha and the Sendhapas®} controlled Uddapdpura vinara,®? *Kalacakrapada the Younger went to Nalanda. Above the door of the vihara he drew the mantra of The One Possessing Power In Ten Aspects.*% Below the mantra he wrote: Those who do not know the Paramadibuddha do not know the Namasapgiti. Those who do not know the masamgiti do not know the Gnosis Body of Vajradhara. ‘Those who do not know the Gnosis Body of Vajradhara do not know the Mantrayéna. Those who do not know the Mantrayana are all sansaric - they are Separate from the path of Bhagavan Vajradhara.?4 30 Tib. hing stan can. For more on this mysterious person see Roerich (1949:1021-1022, 1031). Tucci ransiated an extract from Padma dkar po's biography of Urgyan pa that contains a reference to "king gShing tan can Ramapala" at Buddh Gaya (Tucci 1940:8). Later the biography refers to a king Gopala (Tucci 1940:9). There seen to be a number of anachronisms in the account, but this may be a garbled reference to Shing stan can. The Pala kings Ramapala and Gopadla ruled c. 1072-1126 and 1128-1143 respectively (Sircar 1977:968). Ramapala's dates appear to fit the circumstances of the stories in the Blue Annals. 31 he "Sendhapas" were Sinhalese Theravada monks active in Magadha during the Pala and Sena dynasties. T have collected a number of references to them from Tibetan ‘and Indian sources, and intend to publish an article on ‘them. 32 qg4b. 0 danta pu ri. Uddandapure was located at Bihar Sharif, Nalanda District, Bihar (Huntington 1984:116). 33 set. daSak@ravaéI; Tib. rnam_beu dbang Idan. 34 This is part of the Kalacakra manifesto that appears at Vimalaprabha 1.6.2. For an edition of the Sanskrit and Tibetan and a translation of the entire84 About five hundred pandits living at Nalanda were displeased with this, and debated with dlacakrapada the Younger. But he defeated them all with the profound and vast nature of the Kélacakra doctrines, and they became his disciples. In particular, Mafjukirti, Abhiyukta, Pandit *Parvata,35 pa Bodhisattva,°® abhaya, ‘*Punya the Great,2? Gambhira the Kashmiri,*® Santagupta, Gunarakgita, Somanatha, rfsa mi,9° and other scholars became his disciples. Even the royal family, the kshatriyas, and the merchants had such faith that they copied texts and created the causes for their future realization of the doctrines. In this way the Klacakra became widely spread. Later Pandit SamantaSribhadra, born passage see Newman (1967:93). 35 4b. Ri bo pa. 36 Tib. Da byang chub sems dpa’. 37 ib. Punya chen po, TI assume this refers to PunyaérI, alias Punyakaragupta, alias *Maha Vajrasana; cf. chimpa (1970:308) . 98 cf, Chimpa (1970:287, 291). 39 rTsa mi/Tsa mi Sangs rgyas grags pa, alias Buddhakirti, of Mi nyag - the Hsi Hsia or Tangut kingdom He seems to have been of Tibetan stock, and was a contemporary of Abhayakaragupta. See Roerich (1949:index), Chimpa (1970:314).85 in Patan*? in Nepal, heard the Kalacakra taught by five masters, and in particular followed mafijukirti. According to the ‘Bro tradition, *! the Kalacakra was brought to India during the time KalkI Sripala taught the Dharma. A couple who practiced the yoga of Yanantaka performed the ritual for the birth of a son as it appears in the Yandntaka tantra, and had a son. When he grew up he learned that in the South*? the bodhisattvas themselves taught the Dharma, and he went to listen to them. With his psychic power Sripala knew of the youth's pure motivation and enthusiasm for the profound Dharma, He knew that if the youth journeyed to Sambhala it would endanger his life [(mKhas grub:) because of the waterless desert wasteland that takes four months to cross. Sripala used an emanation body to meet the youth at the edge of 40 Tib. Ye rang; cf. Snellgrove (1987:365 [n. 114]). 41 pu ston starts his account of, the 'Bro tradition with an aside: "Making the Kalkis Sripala, Hari, and Vikrama into one Kalki is unacceptable. Since Sripala, Hari, and Vikrama are taught as having different deciensional endings in the Indian manuscripts, it is accepted that they are different." For a discussion of this see Reigle (1986). mKhas grub's introduction to the ‘Bro lineage (TC 171/1-3) differs from Bu ston's. 42 Rin chen gces pa'i_lde mig 59/7 reads: lho phyogs na; i.e., "in the South"! Given that, as we will see, the "Bro tradition prays to "Kalki Sripala at the end of the southern ocean," I believe Bu ston's text is not corrupt. mkhas grub (TC 171/4) reads: byang phyogs na; i.e., "in the North," which is where one would expect Sambhala to be.86 the desert. The Kalki asked the youth, “Where are you going, and why?" When the youth told him his intention the Kalki said, “That road is very difficult, But if you can understand these things, could you not listen to them even here?" The youth realized that this was an emanation of the Kalki, and asked him for instruction. Right there the Kalki initiated the youth, and for four months he taught him all the anuttara tantras, especially the three inner Bodhisattva Corpus commentaries. Like a vase filled to the brim, the youth realized and memorized all the tantras.]$3 When he returned to India he became renowned as an emanation of Mafijugri, and his name was ‘KBlacakrapada At that time in India there was a very dull monk who wanted to increase his intelligence. Following the instructions he received from his deity in a dream, he made an image of the goddess Kurukulld out of coral, and inserted it in the mouth of a female corpse. Sitting cross-legged on the corpse's back, he practiced for seven days. The corpse's face looked up, and she said, "What do you want?" Although he wanted to be able to memorize all that he read, due to his stupidity he said that he wanted 43 his annotation is TC 171/5 ff. Rin_chen _gces pati_lde mig 59/7-60/2 says the same thing, but omits a few details.87 to be able to memorize all that he wrote. The corpse eaid, "So be it." Due to this he was called Pandit vagiévarakirei.44 He lived at the vihdra of Khasarpana, 45 and once he asked the acarya *Kalacakrapada, “How many tantras do you know?" The Scarya answered, "I know this, and this, and this...," but it is said that vagiévarakirti 46 could not even remember the names of the tantra: 44 ib, Ngag gi dbang phyugs grags pa; "The Renowned Lora of speech.” A famous scholar of the early 11th century; see Chimpa (1970:295 [n. 13], 296-299). 45 Grénbold notes: "Ein Khasarpapa-Vihara in pungravardhana wird von Taranatha erwahnt, Schietner [Taranathas Geschichte] S.144f., 203, 292 [cf. Chimpa (1970:257, 307-308)]. Einen Tempel des ‘Khasarpana gab es im i1-3h. im Kloster Somapura, Nordbengalen, s.Dasgupta, Obscure relig. Cults, $.10" (Grénbold 1969:57 {n. 3]). In Taranatha's account of the travels of his guru Buddhagupta he mentions that Buddhagupta went to Bengal and spent about twenty days in prayer at Khasarpapa in the Pupgravardhana region (Tucei 1991:697-699). I think it likely that the Khasarpana vihara was nearby and attached to the great Somapura vinara, the ruins of which are lecated at Paharpur, Rajshahi District, Bangladesh (cf. Huntington 1984:160). For background on Pungravardhana and Somapura/Paharpur see Law (1968:291-294). 48 por a bizarre inversion of this story see Deb ther_sngon po 889-890; Roerich (1949:757-758). There the Stupid monk 1s Pingo, who became known in Magadha as Wagiévarakirti! ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal rightly rejects the Yeracity of this version of the story, and gives a good Yeason for doubting 4t (Deb ther_sngon po 897; Roerich je49:763), I strongly suspect that the version in our teat is the original one, and that the inverted version was invented in defense of Vagiévarakirti. I also believe this is evidence that there was some friction between Pipdo and Vagisvarakirti (and others) having to do with the innovative doctrines of the Kalacakra.88 *xlacakrapada had many disciples, and most of them became yogis. From among them the one that maintained the tradition of teaching was his disciple Nalendrapa, also renowned as "*Kalacakrapada the Younger." He is said to have possessed qualities equaling his guru's. [(mKhas grub:) Some accounts say *Kalacakrapada the Younger and Nalendrapa were guru and disciple.] At that time Somandtha, the very intelligent son of a brahman, was born in Kashmir. For twelve years he learned his father's heterodox dharmas, but his mother was a Buddhist and she told him that he should study her religion. She put him under the tutelage of the Kashmiri pandit called "*Brahmapapada."47 Since Somanatha was very handsome, the pandit's daughter said, "You must have intercourse with me in order to listen to the Dharma." somandtha accepted that and listened to a lot of Buddhist Dharma. {(mkhas grub:) At that time *Kalacakrapada the Elder's disciple ‘Vinayakaramati‘® sent the Sekodéega and a commentary on the Sekaprakriya‘? to *Brahmapapada. 47 ip, Bram ze zhabs. Deb ther sngon po 890 gives his name as Siryaketu (cf. Roerich 1949:758). 48 Tip. pul ba'i blo gros. 49 The Sekaprakriyd (Peking #7 & #4609) presents the Xdlacakra initiation rites. It is gomposed of three blocks of verses extracted from the Sri_Ka@lacakra, two29 *Brahmapapada showed then to Somandtha, who read them and admired them a great deal.]5° sSoman&tha went to Magadha, met the Elder and Younger *Kdlacakrapadas, and received instruction on the doctrines of the Bodhisattva Corpus. At that time Somandtha engaged in a debate with the Kashmiri scholar *Ratnavajra,5! and won. *Ratnavajra told Somanatha that he should go elsewhere lest *Ratnavajra's disciples lose faith in him. Somanatha acquiesced, thinking that he would spread the Kalacakra in Tibet, which he did. Before we discuss the preceding accounts of the introduction and early spread of the Kalacakra in India, we will establish some relevant chronological landnarks. ‘The following dates are determined with varying degrees of certainty, but all of them are at least plausible. from the third chapter and one from the fifth. |The commentary referred to is probably Darika's Sri- Kalacakratantrard jasya-sekaprakr iyavrtti-vajrapadodghati- nama (Peking #2072). 50 Rin chen gces_pa'i_lde mig 60/7 simply says: “somandtha read the SekoddeSa." mKhas grub's version agrees with the account at Deb ther sngon po 891 (Roerich 1949:758). 51 vib. Rin chen rdo rje. Tarandtha gives an account of *Ratnavajra; cf. Chimpa (1970:295 [n. 13], 301- 302).90 Chronological Landmarks In the Early History of the Kélacakra Pla Regnal Periods5? circa Mahipla Ie...eeseeee sees wees s+: 977-1027 Nayapdla.......++ ++. 1027-1043 Vigrahapala..... + «1043-1070 MahipAla II...- +1070-1071, SGrapala 11.. sees) 1072=1072 ++ 1072-1126 Ramapala....-.+.+++ Naro Narvana.....- perce 1ce0ee 82 all dates for the Pala kings are taken from Sircar (1977:968), which represents the present state of our knowledge of Pala chronology. See the useful survey of the subject in Huntington (1984:29-38). No one would want to rely too heavily on the shifting sands of Pala Tegnal periods, but the basic sequence and approxinate dates are fairly well established. 58 qurrell v. Wylie has demonstrated that Herbert V. Guenther's dates for Naro, i.e, 1016-1100, are untenable (Wylie 1962). Indeed, it is odd that Guenther ever considered these dates as posgibilities, because they would make Naro a youth when Atiga went to Tibet. In any case, Wylie concludes: "Let the historical record show that ‘Naropa was born in A.D. 956 and died in A.D. 104 the same Tron-Male-Dragon year in which Mi-la-ras-pa was bora and Atiéa left India on his way to western Tibet" (Wylie 1982:691), Wylie has made a convincing case for the date of Maro's nirvana, but I would like to see more evidence before accepting his date for Naro's birth. In particular, we must ask where Naro's hagiographer obtained Such a wonderfully precise date for Naro's birth. Naro'sa1 atigaS4 Birth. sseseeeeeeee Left India for Tibet. Calculation of Doctrine's Duration.........105155 Nirvana... sere 1084 birth date is given in the hagiography Guenther translated in the element-animal sexagenary cycle format, which was never used in India. 5¢ qhe dates for Atiga's birth, departure to Tibet, and nirvana are commonly accepted. Recently Helmut Einer has made an exhaustive study of the sources for biographical information on Atiéa, and he concurs with the accepted dates for these events (Eimer 1974:19-22) (Note: I follow Eimer in adopting the spelling "Atiga" in place of the earlier usage "atiéa.") 88 mkhas grub's Dus ‘khor tik chen says: de nas leaga mo yos but 1o la jo bo chen po rjes brtsis dus lo sun stong dang brgya brgyad cu rtsa béun ‘das (TC 140/3); “then, in the Female-Iron-Hare year [1051] when the great Jo bo rje [Atiga] calculated [the duration of the doctrine], 9,187 years had elapsed [since the parinirvapa]. The ‘chronological tables (re'u mig) appended to Sum pa mkhan po Ye shes dpal ‘byor's dPag bsam ljon bzang say: Teags yos/ jo bes ‘dir bstan rtsis mdzad ces mkhas grub kyis gsung pas jo bo chu rta lo bar nges kyang bzhed/ {Re'u mig 8); "“Iron-Hare [1051]: Since mKhas grub says, 'Jo bo {Atisa] calculated the duration of the doctrine at this time, he also asserts that it is definite that Jo bo [lived at least] until the Water-Horse year [1042]." Hoffmann misunderstands the Re‘u mig entry, and thinks it refers to AtiSa's having composed a text on chronology as part of a Tibetan calendar reform (Hoffmann 1966:137-116; 1961:122-123; 1975:142). A bstan_rtsis is not a "booklet on chronology," and it does not necessarily have anything to do with the Tibetan sexagenary cycle. Tt is a calculation (rtsis) of the duration of the doctrine (bstan pa); i.e., the time that has elapsed since the Buddha achieved parinirvana (cf. Bod rgya tehig mdzod chen mo 1129),92 Somanatha Visited Tibet......-.+ee+ Abhavakaraquota Nirvana. .....-eeee+ 56 Bod raya tshig mézod chen mo 3216: 1064, shing ‘brug/ kha che z1a ba mgon po bod du byon/ "1064, Wood-Dragon: The Kashmiri Somandtha came to Tibet." The compilers of the chronological table in the Bod raya tshig mdzod chen mo do not cite a source for this, but it ds probably Deb ther sngon_po 100, which is not quite so precise. In any case, the third quarter of the 11th century is almost certainly the period Somanatha was active in Tibet. ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal places Somanatha's visit to Tibet shortly after Atiga's demise (Deb ther sngon po 100: Roerich 194$:72). Elsewhere he says Somanatha's visit took place during the latter half of the life of Grwa pa mNgon shes (Deb ther _sngon po 887; Roerich 1949:785), who lived 1012-1090 (Deb ther sngon po 125 & 127; Roerich 1949:95 & 97). Again, 1Ce Zla ba grags pa (alias 1Ce Candrakirti), born 1046, studied the Kalacakra under Somanatha (Deb ther_sngon po 1058; Roerich 1949:906- 907}. 87 3220): Re'u_mig 14 (= Bod rgya tshig mdzod chen mo shing sbrul/ slob dpon a bhya ka ra gshegs/ “Wood-Snake (1126): Acdrya Abhayakara(gupta] passed away." As is only too often the case, Sum pa mkhan po cites no source for this date. Nevertheless, it fits the known facts. Abhayakaragupta dated a number of his compositions in the current regnal year of Ramapala (reigned c. 1072- 1126): (1), Buddhakapdlatantratika...Ramapala 25 = c, 1097 (Shastri 1917:163). (2) Munimatalamkara.. ,-RamapSla 30 = c. 1102 (Peking93 With the preceding dates in mind, we are ready to consider Bu ston's version of the history of the Kalacakra in India. Firet of all, it is obvious that the Rwa and ‘Bro traditions give divergent accounts of the Indian origins of the Kalacakra. In addition, the Rwa tradition is divided into a number of conflicting opinions about the introduction of the Kalacakra into India.5® Nevertheless, we can simplify and schenatize the Rwa and ‘Bro lineages as follows: #5299; vol. 101, _277/2/6-7). (3) AmndyamafijarT...... #2328; vol. 55, 248/5/4). Ramap@la 37 = c. 1109 (Peking Also, an old manuscript containing the date it was copied provides a terminus ante quem for the composition of this text: KAlacakravatfra copied Saka 1047 = 1125-1126 A.D.; also, the text uses an astronomical era of 463 years, indicating it was written approximately 60 years after the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha (shastri 1917: 161-162; Peking #2908; vol. 47, 268/4/7). This information is consistent with Taranatha's acccunt of Abhaylkaragupta (Chimpa 1970:313-315). 88 samantasribhadra, the Indian (or rather Newari) source for the Rwa tradition, was one step further removed from the first Indian Kalacakra teacher than was Somandtha, the Indian source of the ‘Bro tradition. This may be a factor causing the differences in the Rwa and "Bro guru lineage lists.Rwa Tradition An Emanation of Mafijusri or Avalokitesvara cilu Pingo | *Kalacakrapada the Elder *Klacakrapada the Younger (Bodhipa, Nalendrapa) Mafjukirti Samantaribhadra Rwa Chos rab 94 "Bro Tradition Kalki Sripaia *Kalacakrapada the Elder Nlenérapa (*Kalacakrapada the Younger) | Somanatha ‘Bro Shes rab grags Taking the Rwa lineage first, it is worth noting that none of the Kalkis in the time frame we are dealing with (after pungarTka and before Raudra Cakri) are considered emanations of either MafijugrI or Avaiokiteévara. words, compelling even as a legend. In other this aspect of the Rwa account is not very Further, Cilu is a98 particularly obscure individual, Outside of references like the present one, I have not encountered any mention of Cilu, his writings, or his views anywhere else in the Kalacakra literature.59 There are two works attributed to him in the Tanjur; a commentary on the Guhyasamaja (Peking #2709), and a short instruction on the sadafigayoga (Peking #2090).60 A precursory examination of these texts unearthed nothing that relates them to the Kalacakra or the Bodhisattva Corpus. Unless further information is 59 the only other references to Cilu I have located are in stories of the introduction of the Kalacakra into India that are ac obscure as the present one: cf. Roerich (1949:755-757, 761-763, 789); Hoffmann (195) 22-129; {967:126-128; 1975:144). Cilu 4s not even mentioned in Taranatha's history of Indian Buddhism (Chimpa 1970), but he appears in two lineage lists in his bka' babs bdun Idan (Templeman 1283766). (Note: Roerich gives the Indic form of "Cilu's" name as "Celuka" in parentheses, and gives the Tibetan form - Tsi lu pa - in the text (Roerich 1949:755- 756, 761-762). Other writers simply refer to him as “Celuka,” I suspect “Celuka" is merely a corruption found in the Peking Tanjur that was adopted in Palnyr Cordier's catalogue, and thence into western usage.] Rout Cilu, Jean Naudou says: "Ajoutons que, pour certains, Kalacakrapada 1'Ancien n'est autre que Tillopa ou Cilupa (en sanskrit Tailikapada), ce qui explique du néme coup 1a tradition isolée qui fait de Naropa un disciple de Kalacakrapada 1'Ancien" (Naudow 1968:128; cf. {26-127).. Naudow attributes this apodictic statement to Gsoma de Kérés, Padma dkar po, and 'Gos gZhon nu dpal, but he has cut the Gordian knot on his own, TI have read all of these sources, and none of them identify cilu with Tillo. 60 rt may be significant that this text was translated by Rwa Chos rab under the guidance of Samantasri.96 forthcoming, our knowledge of Cilu appears to be limited to the vaguest of legends. When we reach Pindo,®! however, the picture brightens 61 1 have adopted the form "Pindo" from 'Gos gZhon nu dpal's Deb ther sngon po: 887, 889, 890, 896-897 (Roerich 1949:766, 757, 763-764). [Note: In the edition cited, which is printed with moveable type, the name appears as "Pinto." A xylograph I examined consistently has the correct form.] At Deb ther sngon po 894 (Roerich 1949:761) he is referred to as bSod snyoms pa chen po, j.e, the Great Pindo. In a Guhyasamaja lineage we find the name Pindo pa bSod snyoms pa, which is merely an Indic form followed by a Tibetan gloss (Deb ther sngon po 439; Roerich 1949:361). The same thing occurs even more clearly in Taranatha's bKa' babs bdun Idan, which is worth citing in its entirety: yang dus ‘khor sogs rgyud sde mang po zhig ni/ slob dpon $i fo pa ste bsod snyoms bya ba zhig la phyag na rdo rjes jung bstan te rdzu 'phrul gyis sham bha lar byon/ rgyud mang po spyan drangs/ ratna gi rir slob ma mang po la bshad/ bi to pa nyid mthar mi snang ba'i mngos grub brnyes s0/ /slob ma drug yod pa las/ gsum gyis rdo rje'i sku grub ste mi snang bar gyur/ dge slong a ba dhu ti pa dang/ bo ahi shri dang/ nd ro pa gsum gyis dar bar mdzad do/ /yang ‘a ba dh ti pas sau ri pa la bshad do/ /de la pi to pa ni gyal po ma hi pa la'i dus su byon yang/ a bhi yukta ka nas kyang brgyud de/ de dag ni brgyud pa 'di'i dbang du byas pa'o/ (bka' babs bdun Idan 455/4-6) “purthermore, with regards to the Kalacakra and many other tantras: An Kearya Pijdo (Bi to pa), i.e., 'bSod snyons pa.’ being instructed by Vajrapani, miraculously went to Sambhala and brought back many tantras. At Ratnagiri he taught them to many disciples. Pingo himself finally obtained the siddhi of invisibility. Among his six disciples, three achieved the vajra body and became invisible; ‘three - the monk Avadhiti, BodhiérI, and Naro~ propagated the teaching (i.e., the Kalacakra). Furthermore, Avadhiti taught it to Sauri. With regards to this, although Pingo came during the time of Mahipala, (the Kalacakra) was’ also transmitted through (the later guru) Abhiyukta, and these (traditions) are according to his lineage." (My translation differs somewhat from Templeman's [1983:70].)97 considerably. The renowned Bengali guru Dipapkaraérijfina, better know as Atiga, refers to “the great Adibuddha-tantre" in his fanous Bodhipathapradipa. 6? In his auto-commentary to the Bodhipathapradipa, the Bodhindraapradipapafjik#,©% atiga informs us that his reference to "the great Adibuddha-tantra"®4 derives from the oral instructions of his guru Pingo (bSod pa).65 atiga also tells us that his guru was a monk, and ‘This account agrees with the theory I articulate below. 62 Peking #5343; vol. 103, 21/8/1-4. This and the following references in this paragraph were first noted by Naudou (1968:137, 152), and later researched by Ruegg (1981b:213-219; 1984:372-378) . 63 Peking #5344; vol, 103, 44/4/1-45/4/3. Ruegg notes that the ascription of this commentary to Atiéa has been questioned, but unfortunately he does not give any references (Ruegg 1961b:213 [n. 2]; 1984:373 [n. 8]). Cf. Ruegg (1961a:112 [n. 358}). 64 Ruegg assumes "the great Adibuddha-tantra" is a reference to the Kalacakra laghutantra (Ruegg 1981b:215 {n.28], 217; 1984:372). I believe it indicates the Paramadibuddha, the Kalacakra nilatantra. 65 Ruegg thinks bsod snyoms pa is not a name, but an epithet, and reconstructs the Indic form as paindapatika: "a mendicant” (Ruegg 1981b:217, cf. 214-219; 1984:373- 314). In this he appears to be following Naudou (1968:152 [n. 4]). In fact, bsod snyoms pa is used to transiate paindapatika (cf. Mhvy 1181), but bsod snyoms alone is Used to translate pinda (Mhvy 2439). Given the clear equivalence of pindo and bsod_snyoms pa in the Kalacakra Jegends, I see pindo as nominative singular of pinda (BHSG 2.18), similar to tillo and naro. The pa of bsod_snyoms pa is merely a nominalizing particle, and we find an Tndic-Tibetan hybrid form pingo pa. (I consider the forms pido, pi to, bi to; pinda, pingi, pandi, etc., to be98 that he was native to SuvarpadvIpa (gSer gling), more specifically, Yavadvipa (Ya ba dwi pa), i.e., Java. This information correlates nicely with the colophon to the $ri-KSlacakragarbh3lamkara-nama~sadhana: /dus kyi ‘Khor lo snying po'i rgyan zhes bya ba'i sgrub thabs lho phyogs rgya mtsho'i yul du sku 'hrungs pa mkhas pa chen po bram ze bsod snyoms pas mdzad pa/ rdzogs so// //rgya gar gyi pandi ta bha dra bi dhi'i (read: bo dhi'i] zhal snga nas dang/ bod kyi lo tsa ba gyi jo zla ba'i ‘od zer gyis bsgyur cing zhus te gtan la phap pa'o// (Peking #2081; vol. 47, 233/3/2-4) Thus ends the Kalacakragarbh@lankara-nama-sadhana composed by the great scholar, the brahman Pingo (bSod snyoms pa), who was born in the land of the southern ocean. Translated, revised, and established either variant transcriptions of a vernacular pronunciation, or mere corruptions.) Ruegg (following Naudou [1968:152 (n. 4)]) says: "Now it does not seem possible to identify this Bhikgu- Paindapatika with Pindo or Pito Acarya, the disciple of Celuka (Tsiluka) and’ the teacher of Kalacakrapada the Elder, one of the principal masters in the early history of the Kdlacakra; for Pindo/Pito is not recorded to have come from Indonesia or Nalaysig, and he is in any case said to have been a pupil of Atiéa" (Ruegg 1984:374). In fact Pindo (bSod snyoms pa) is recorded as having come from Java, or "the land of the southern ocean," both Sn Atiéa's auto-commentary and in the colophon to Pingo's own work. I follow this evidence over the assertion of the Rwa tradition that he was born in Bengal. Ruegg is correct that a "Pi to pa chen po" ~ Great Pifopa - is counted among the five special disciples of Atisa (dGos ‘dod kun_'by 222; Chimpa 1970:310). But given the fact that Atiga refers to Pindo (bSod snyoms pa) as his own guru, we seen to be left with a choice of either positing two ‘Pindo/Pitos, or simply rejecting the tradition recorded by Taranatha.99 by Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer®® under the guidance of the Indian pandit Bhadrabodhi. The fact that Pindo was born in Java, "the land of the southern ocean," appears to explain an otherwise very odd statement found in a prayer of the 'Bro tradition recorded by Bu ston: /Yho phyogs rgya mtsho'i mtha' drung du/ Yrigs ldan rgyal po dpal skyong 1a gsol ba 'debs/S? I pray to the Kalki king Sripala at the end of the southern ocean. This is clear evidence that the 'Bro tradition considered Kalki SrIpala to be another name for Pingo. This has the effect of linking the Rwa and the 'Bro lineages at their 66 Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer was active during the first half of the 11th century. He translated other Klacakra texts with Bhadrabodhi (Peking #6 & #4608; Lhasa #373), as well as with Vidvasri (Peking #2073) and Buddhakarabhadra (Peking #2082). He also translated a number of Atiga's short works on tantra in collaboration with atiéa himself (Nyingma #4748-4760), and other works with Gayadhara and Vajrabodhi. "Gos gZhon nu dpal says: "We can see that the statement of ghan Bang 90 ba and others that, 'The first [kalacakra] translations into Tibetan are the translations of Gyi jo,' is correct; for it is said, ‘Pandit Somanatha visited [Tibet] in the latter half of Grwa pa mNgon shes‘s life [1012-1090], and in his youth he had heard the Kdlacakra from his uncle (Zhang ston Chos ‘bar]'" (Deb ther _sngon_po @87; Roerich 1949:755, cf. 95-97). We will Teturn to this below. We may also note that the colophon to Peking #6 indicates it was translated by Gyi jo ban dhe Zila ba'i ‘od zer for "'Bro dge slong,” who I assume to be ‘Bro Shes rab grags (Peking #6; vol. 1, 182/2/1). 67 pbta ma dam pa rnams la gsol_ ‘debs kyi dpe _le tshan_brqyad pa 319/6, (In the xylograph "gsol ba ‘debs* is represented by an )100 virtual beginnings because, as indicated above, the Rwa tradition holds that Pingo was the teacher of ckSlacakrapida the Elder, and the ‘Bro tradition gives the same honor to Kalki Sripala. unlike most Tibetan accounts of the introduction of the Kalacakra into India, Taranatha's dGos ‘dod _kun_'byunc cuts through all of the contradictory evidence and makes @ simple assertion: pi to pas dus kyi 'khor lo spyan drangs pa...°° Pindo introduced the Kalacakra.. oD again: /rgyal po ma bi pa la'i sku tshe'i smad tsam na/ bi {o's tea ryas dus kyi ‘Khor loi rgyud spyan drangs te royal po [ma ha pa la] ‘di'i dus su dar bar ndzad/ Around the latter half of the lifetime of King Manipaia, Pindo Acarya introduced the Kalacakra fantra; he spread it during the time of this king (Manapala].77 68 acos ‘dod kun ‘byung 247. 69 cf. Chimpa (1970:343). bSod nams ‘od zer ba (a3th century) also held that Pingo introduced the Kdlacakra into India (Deb ther sngon po 894; Roerich 1949:761). 10 gcos ‘dod kun ' 206. 71 cg. Chimpa (1970:269). Taranatha says: "The account of Pito acdrya is to be clearly found elsewhere. ane ear that his disciple *Kalacakrapada lived Zbmatine during the period of this king (Mahapala]* (chimpa 1970:290). Taranatha does not specify where (Gisewnere" is, but it is almost certainly his bka'_babs baun idan; seen. 61 above for the text and a translation101 From the context of TAranatha's account, it is clear that the Mahipala referred to is MahTpala I, who reigned ¢. 977-1027.72 This would place Pindo's introduction of the Kalacakra into India around the beginning of the 11th century, which fits the internal evidence of the si Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha.7? It is interesting to note that in the dynastic list of Sambhala appearing at Vimalaprabh 1.3 Kalki Mahip@la is followed by Kaiki of its brief account of Pindo's introduction of the Kalacakra. : ‘Taranatha's dPal_dus_kyi ‘khor_lo'i chos bskor gyi byung khungs nyer kho 997/2-6 attributes the introduction of the Kdlacakra into India to *Kalacakrapada the Elder, whose actual name, he says, was Mafijuvajra. This is supposedly according to the 'Bro tradition (which Taranatha says is the best), but I have not found this identification of *Kalacakrapada the Elder in any other version of the ‘Bro lineage. I wonder if Taranatha composed the Dus 'khor chos ‘byung prior to the bka' babs bdun Idan (composed 1600) and rGya gar chos ‘byung (1608), which represent his more mature work? 12 one should note that no Pala king by the name of Mahapala appears in the inscriptions or in the manuscript colophons. It is well known that Taranatha's version of the Pala dynasty is confused in places, and this has led some scholars to simply reject Taranatha's information out of hand. This attitude is both arrogant and stupid, especially when one considers the uncertainty about the Palas we suffer even given our superior source materials. (For a more intelligent approach see Ruegg [1982:515- 16].). In the present instance it is possible that Taranatha misread his source, taking mahpala as a name when in fact it was intended as an epithet. 13 $rT Kalacakra 1.27 and the Vimalaprabha's comment thereon contain a year that can calculated as either 1012— 1013 or 1027, my preference being the former. See Newman (1985:85 {n. 13]); (1987:100 (n. 24])-102 SrIpala. I believe this is not a coincidence, and suppose Kalki Srip&la (i.e., Pingo) included "Mahipala" in the dynasty of Sambhala as a tribute to the monarch reigning in Eastern India at the time the Kalacakra was introduced. If we accept the identification of Kalki Sripala and Pingo, the Rwa and ‘Bro traditions would agree that he was the teacher of *Kalacakrapada the Elder. In fact I would ge one step further, and put forward the proposition that *Kdlacakrapada is yet another name for Pindo. I base this theory on an extremely valuable piece of hitherto overlooked historical data, the translator's colophon to Pundarika's Kalacakratantragarbhavrtti-vimalaprabha-nama (Peking #4608). This colophon was written by Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer, who translated the text under the guidance of the Indian pandit ér1 Bhadrabodhi. /sam ba la‘i yul byon zhing/ Yangon par shes pa mnga' brnyes pa/ /dus kyi 'khor lo pa zhes pa/ /ae'i vim ni brgyad pa dang/ /a rgyan yul skyes bram za'i rigs/ yna ro pa zhes bya ba ni/ ynus pa skyes shing Ihas gnang ba/ 7ée'1 rigs rgyud thos pa'i/ /bla ma lha'i sa lhas bstan pa/ jae mnyan rgya ‘grel ‘bad bsgyur bas/ yi ‘jigs bde ba'i gnas thob shog/ //xgya gar gyi mkhan po shri bha dra bo dha‘i zhal snga nas/ bod kyi lo tsha ba ban de zla ba'i 'od zer103 gyis/ yon bdag zhang btsun dge slong gi phyir bsgyur cing zhus pa'o//7# ‘The one called '*Kalacakrapada’ (dus kyi 'khor lo pa) went to the land of Sambhala and gained nastery of the psychic powers. The one called 'Naro,' a brahman by caste, born in the land of Uddiyana, was the successor in his (i.e., *Kalacakrapade's) lineage- he was borg from shakti and authorized by the deity. The guru ($r3 Bhadrabodhi) was of his (i.e., Naro's) caste - he heard the tantra, he was taught by the heavenly deity. By listening to him and making effort to translate this commentary, may I obtain the state of fearless bliss.// Translated and revised under the guidance of the Indian master $ri Bhadrabodhi by the Tibetan translator, the venerable Zla,ba'i ‘od zer, for the patron Zhang btsun dge slong. 75 As noted above, Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer was almost certainly the first Tibetan to translate texts on Kalacakra, and he was active during the first half of the iith century. Thus, the preceding colophon contains the earliest record of the Kalacekra lineage - it is practically contemporary with the origin of the tradition. 74 Peking #4608; vol.81, 293/1/7-8. I have not altered the orthography. This text seems not to appear in the sDe dge or Co ni Tanjurs. I attempted to compare the readings in the sNar thang Tanjur (#3397; rGyud_‘grel PU 18a), but the xylograph at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, is missing the relevant folio. 18 1 suppose Zhang btsun dge slong, i.e., “the venerable monk of the Zhang clan," refers to Zhang ston Chos ‘bar. 'Gos gZhon nu dpal records that he was a monk, was learned in the Kalacakra, and was the uncle of Grwa pa mNgon shes (1012-1090) who "in his youth...had heard the Kalacakra from (his) uncle” (Roerich 1949:96 & 755). It would appear that Gyi jo Zla ba'i 'od zer functioned as their translator.104 We can schematize Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer's Kalacakra lineage as follows: Gyi_jo Zla ba'i_'od zer *Kalacakrapada Naro SrI Bhadrabodhi | Gyi jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer If we take it as given that Pindo "went to Sambhala" and introduced the Kalacakra into India, it follows that Gyi jo Zia ba'i ‘od zer identifies him here as *Kalacakrapada.76 This name means "the venerable master of the KAlacakra," a fitting appellation for the master that introduced the system. Naro is better known under the Tibetan spelling of 16 the reader should recall that Gyi_jo Zla ba'i ‘od zer translated Pindo's Kdlacakragarbhalamiara-nama~sadhana Under the guidance of Bhadrabodhi. Thus it is probable that Pingo preceded Bhadrabodhi in the guru lineage.105 7 We know that Naro was a master of his name - N ro pa.7 the Kalacakra: he wrote a large commentary on the Sekoddeda, the ParanSrthasamgraha. Then why doesn't he appear in the Kalacakra lineages put forward by the Rwa and 'Bro traditions? In fact he does appear. As Bu ston tells us, Gyi jo zla ba'i ‘od zer's guru Sri Bhadrabodhi was the disciple of *Kalacakrapada.7® Thus, I believe Naro was called *Kalacakrapada the Younger, and Nalendrapa = the man cf Nalanda - within the early Kalacakra cult in India. According to Padma dkar po, this view was held by a number of early Kalacakra scholars: don dus zhabs chung ba de kha rgyal sras na landa pa ja zer ba yin te/ dpal n& ro pa'o zhes ‘bro pa tsa mi nags rin sogs thams cad 'dod/ (‘Brug pa'i chos ‘byung 221/4-5). Actually, that very *Kalacakrapada the Younger was called ‘Jinaputra Nalandapa'; the followers of the "Bro tradition, Tsa mi (Sangs rgyas grags_ pal, vanaratna, and others all assert, ‘He was Sri Naro.' The title "*Kalacakrapada the Younger" is applicable because, as Gyi jo tells us, Naro was the lineage holder of *Kalacakrapida (the Elder), who brought the Kalacakra 17 ‘The Tibetans give Naro's name as N& ro pa, N& ro pan chen, Nd ro ta pa, and so forth. The manuscript of the Paramirthasangraha preserves a Sanskrit form Nagapada (Paranarthasaygraha 74). A Sanskrit manuscript edited by Tucci preserves an apparent Prakrit form Naropa, as well as a semi-Sanskritic Naropada (Tucci 1930:160 & 162). T have adopted the common denominator from these forms- Naro. 78 Rin chen gces pa'i ide mig 74/3-4.106 to India from Sambhala. The nane “A&lendrapa" certainly fits Naro, the crest jewel of the contemporary Nalanda vajracdryas. To summarize the preceding discussion, I put forward my theory of the introduction and early transmission of the Kalacakra in India and Tibet: Pingo (10th-11th cent.) (alias Kalki ive *Kalacakrapada the Elder} Atiga (982-1054) Naro (died ca. 1040) (alias *KAlacakrapada the Younger, Nalendrapa) ——- Sri Bhadrabodhi Somanatha Mai jukirts Zla ba'i ‘od zer ‘Bro Shes rab grags SamantaSribhadra | Rwa Chos rab There are no obstacles to this theory from the point of view of chronology because Atiga was a contemporary and disciple of both Pingo and Waro. Also, I follow Tarandtha's assertion that Pingo introduced the Kalacakra during the latter half of Mahipala's lifetime, and it makes sense that the great Naro would have studied this extraordinary doctrine directly under the master who introduced it.107 Even if this theory is correct, it does not account for all aspects of the early spread of the K@lacakra in India, One master notably absent from all of the lineages discussed above is Anupanarakgita. As Glinter Grénbold has admirably shown, Anupamarakgita was the Indian fountainhead of most of the Tibetan traditions of the sadahgavoga - the KAlacakra utpannakrama - which in sone ways marks the pinnacle of Vajrayana esotericism. 13 in the Deb ther sngon po ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal says: “Also, Ac&rya Anupamarakgita was not later than Acarya Naro, because N&ro quotes his teaching in the (Parandrthasangraha-nlma-) sekoddeéatiké" (Deb ther sngon po 897; Roerich 1949:764). Grénbold notes that Taranatha and Sum pa mkhan po Ye shes dpal ‘byor say the same, and concludes: "Wir kénnen somit sage, er lebte um 1000 n.chr. Exacter ist das Datum zur Zeit nicht zu bestimmen" (Grénboid 1969:125). The introduction of the Kalacakra into Indian Vajrayana was not met with universal approbation. The K@lacakra exhibits syncretism with non~Buddhist religious traditions to a degree probably unprecedented in the history of Indian Buddhism. This set off a debate among Indian vajraca@ryas of the early 11th century. The 79 See all of Grénbold's works cited in the bibliography, but especially Grénbold (1982 & 1984).108 legendary difficulties *Kalacakrapada the Younger encountered in introducing the Kalacakra at Nalanda are certainly based in fact. A window on this debate is offered by Abhayakaragupta in his $rT-samputatantrard ja~t1k-amnayama jari-nama: /ées na cis stong pa'i dkyil 'khor gzhan pa'o zhes brjod/ gang dus kyi ‘khor lor nam mkha'i dkyil ‘Khor logs su bton nas gsungs pa de ni.mu stegs pa'i lta ba la mngon par zhen pa'i nyi ma'i shing rta la sogs pa géul bya rnams nges pa'i don la gzhug pa Ja ldem por dgongs pas drang ba'i don kho na ste/ phag 1a sogs pa ‘dod pa'i rjes su ‘jug pas ri rab kyi steng gi mtshams su khams gsun pa'i snod kyi ‘jig rten gyi bkod pa la sogs pa bstan pa® pzhin no/ /'o na dus kyi ‘khor lo dang de'i rjes su ‘brang ba'i gzhung rnams su theg pa goun dang ‘gal ba'i rnam par gzhag pa mang po rnams bya ste/ de'i gzhung byed pa grags pa dang padma dkar po dang rdo rje snying po dang phyag na rdo rje'i ming can de rnams byang chub sems dpa' rnams ma yin pa kho na'o zhes mang du shes pa rnams smra'o/ /'di'i phyir ‘gal ba thams cad ma spangs pa na/ ‘ga' zhig tu ‘gal ba spong ba'i ‘bad rtsol gyis ci bya zhe na/ dus kyi ‘khor jor bstan pa rgyud gzhan dang mi ‘gal ba'i don gyi cha ‘gat zhig gi ni kho bos rang gzhung gi phyogs rnams su 80 Peking: bsten pa; Derge: brten pa.109 rjes su 'brang zhing/ gdul bya ‘ga’ zhig gi bsam pati rjes su ‘jug pas ‘gal ba'ng kha cig spangs so/ /de las gzhan la ni ‘gal ba ma spangs na yang ‘di rnams la nyes pa ci yang med do zhes pa shin tu rgyas par brjod pas chog go/®* Thus, why does (the Samputa-tantraj say, “The void mandala is other?" The separate space mandala taught in the Kalacakra is solely an intentional meaning taught enigmatically in order to introduce the people to be trained - Slryaratha and so forth - who cling te heterodox views, to the definitive meaning; just as the arrangement of the environmental world of the three realms on the surface of Meru is teught following the beliefs of the Varaha-[purdpa] and so forth. One might say: “Well, the cognoscenti say, ‘here are many things presented in the Kalacakra and the texts that follow it that contradict the three vehicles [of Buddhism]. The authors of these texts, who have the names Yasas [the redactor of the Sri Kalacakra, etc.], Pungarika [the author of the Vimalaprabha, etc.], Vajragarbha [the author of the Hevajrapindarthatika], and Vajrapapi [the author of the Laks abhidhanad-uddhrta-laghutantra— pinddrthavivarana-nama], are certainly not bodhisattvas.' Therefore, if you do not reconcile all of the contradictions, what is accomplished by Striving to reconcile a few of the contradictions?" Reply: Be satisfied with this very detailed explanation! In the texts we adhere to we follow Some portions of the subject matter taught in the K@lacakra that does not contradict other tantras; and we reconcile some contradictions that are taught in accordance with the dispositions of some of the people to be trained as well. As for other things, even if we do not reconcile the contradictions, there is no fault in them at all. 81 Peking #2328; vol. 55, 193/4/2-7. Derge #1198; Tanjur rGyud ‘grel CHA ff. 198b/5-199a/3, pp. 396/5-397/3. This passage appears in the 2ist mafijarT. As noted above, this text was composed in the 37th regnal year of Ramapala (c, 1109).110 Among the many questions this passage raises is, "Who were ‘the cognoscenti'?" Fortunately, mKhas grub gives the answer to this question. He says it 1s "well known" that the scholars referred to in Abhayakaragupta's apology are Santi “and many other Indians" (Tc 757). Santi, an abbreviation and nickname for Ratndkaraéanti, was one of the most important and influential masters of the Vajrayana during the early 11th century (cf. Chimpa 1970:295, 299-300; Roerich i949:205-206, 842). The objections of Ratn@karaganti and other vajracaryas, including perhaps vagisvarakirti, indicate the radical and innovative nature of the Kalacakra doctrines. I suspect that the K@lacakra's adoption of minor features of brahmanical cosmology was a side issue. As Abhayakaragupta notes, this can be easily explained away as a skillful means of converting the heterodox, The real issue almost certainly involved yoga, more specifically the utpannakrama, the crux of Vajrayana theory and practice. Despite the objections of some Vajrayana masters, the Kalacakra caught the imaginations of many Indian Buddhists. The first half of the 11th century was the most creative period in the development of the Kalacakra tradition. ‘The basic texts of the system - the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha - were composed early inat the 11th century, and it is likely that the other K@lacakra texts in the Kenjur originated at this time as well. I believe that the texts attributed to Yasas and Pundarika, as well as the two Bodhisattva corpus commentaries attributed to Vajragarbha and Vajrapapi, were composed at this time also. In any case these texts cannot be later than Naro, who cites them in his Paramarthasamgraha. The numerous texts in the Tanjur attributed to the Elder and Younger *Kalacakrapadas must, as we have seen, date to the first half of the 11th century. Other early authors of commentaries, sadhanas, and ritual texts include Anupamaraksgita, Sadhuputra SrIdharananda, and Darika. In the latter half of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century Tsa mi Sangs rgyas grags pa (Buddhakirti) and Abhayakaragupta were renowned teachers of the Kalacakra. Ravisrijfana was a another noted master of the system at that time. Somewhat later Sakyaéribhadra (c. 1127-1228) and Vibhiiticandra taught in India, and later propagated the Kalacakra in Tibet. We know of these vajracdryas only because their works are preserved in the Tibetan Tanjur and their names are recorded in Tibetan historical literature. However, for every Indian master of note there must have been numerous practitioners whose names are lost to history.312 The Turkish invasions of Magadha and Bengal around the beginning of the 13th century resulted in the destruction of the great Buddhist monastic universities of NSlandi, Uddangapura, Vikramasila, and so forth. This had the effect of destroying Buddhism as an organized religion in India, and with it went the Indian Kalacakra tradition. However, the disappearance of the Kalacakra, like that of Buddhism, did not occur overnight. Colophons to Indian manuscripts of the Sri Kalacakra show that the text continued to be copied into the 15th century. More important, we know that the actual study and practice of the Ka@lacakra continued in India well into the 15th century.®2 vanaratna (1384-1468) was called "the Last Pandit" because he was one of the last Indian masters to transmit Buddhism to Tibet. ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal, author of the Deb ther sngon po, studied the Kalacakra under Vanaratna, and had the highest esteem for his precepts (cf. Roerich 1949:797-805) . Although the Ka@lacakra tradition is no more in India,®3 it was transplanted into Tibet intact. The 82 A reference in Taranatha's biography of his guru Buddhagupta indicates that the Kalacakra was still current in India during the second half of the 16th century (Tucci 1931:690-691). 83 In fact, vestiges of the Indian Kalacakra tradition live on in Nepal. I am told that the Newars of the Kathmandu valley still practice the Kalacakra within113 Tibetans not only adopted the Kdlacakra, they developed an original interpretation of it that had a major impact on the history of Tibetan Buddhism (see Ruegg 1969). A thorough treatment of the history of the Kalacakra cannot omit the history of the system in Tibet. However, a study of the history of the Kalacakra in Tibet merits a monograph in its own right, and falls outside the scope of this dissertation. their Vajrayana tradition.114 Chapter 7: A Survey of the Kalacakra Tantra The Kalacakra is one of the most systematically arranged of the Buddhist tantras, and this makes it possible to easily present a coherent overview of the entire system. Here we will simply indicate in broad terms the main subjects treated and the basic intent of this tantra. The subject matter of the Kalacakra tantra can be subdivided in a number of ways, but the most fundamental division is tripartite: there is an Outer Kalacakra, an Inner Kalacakra, and an Other Kalacakra, The Outer Kdlacakra is the cosmos, i.e., the external world. The Inner Kalacakra is the soul, the psycho-physical constituents of the person practicing the Kalacakra tantra. The Other Kdlacakra is the transcendent aspect of the tantra, and it in turn can be divided into thre initiation, practice, and gnosis. Other Kalacakra Gnosis Initiation Practice Outer Kalacakra Inner Kalacakra Cosmos soul115 In the Kalacakra, as in so many ancient systems of mysticism, the cosmos and the soul ere reflections of one another (cf. Vimalaprabhd 1.8.10). Hevajra Il.iv.49¢ says: yathS bahyam tathSdhyatmam, “As it is without, so it is within." In the KElacakra there {s a special emphasis on the correlation of the elements of the cosmos with the parts of the body, so the slogan here is: yatha bahve tathd dehe, "As it is without, so it is in the body.” Thus, the Kdlacakra tantra first presents a cosmology, and then a physiology, all the while emphasizing their essentially homologous nature. An idealized representation of the cosmos and the soul as a single organism forms the basis of purification (sbyang gzhi) for yoga. In their unpurified state cosmos and soul make up samsara - the person in a state of nescience and suffering. ‘The aim of the Kalacakra yoga is to purify and transform samsara into enlightenment, similar to the way an alchemical elixir purifies and transforms base metal into gold. This yoga of purification is the main subject of the Kalacakra tantra. The Other Kalacakra is the path of transformation in the KZlacakra tantra. Although this may not be acceptable to traditional scholars, I find it useful to view the three aspects of the Other Kalacakra in terms of categories found in Buddhist philosophical texts: basis,116 path, and result. The Kalacakra initiations form the basis for the development of the Other Kalecakre. During the initiation rites the guru demonstrates that the @isciple's psycho-physical constituents are essentially identical to those of the Kalacakra deity. The initiation plants seeds and engenders experiences in the disciple that serve as the basis for the disciple's eventual attainment of enlightenment in the form of Kalacakra. In particular, the discipline taken up by the disciple during the initiation constitutes a necessary condition for advancement on the path. The practice (sadhana) of the Other Kalacakra represents the actual path of the Kalacakra tantra. In the KAlacakra and other anuttarayoga tantras, practice is divided into two main stages - the generation process (utpattikrama) and the completion process (utpannakrama) . The primary function of the generation process is the development of a clear visualization of oneself as the Kalacakra deity, including the deity's abode, the Kalacakra mandala. This process starts with the yogi only able to visualize a rough approximation of the deity's form; it continues until he is able to maintain a precise visualization of the entire Kalacakra mandala in a space the size of a pea for as long as he desires.417 Perfection of the generation process practices provides the yogi with a basis for the completion process. At this stage of practice the yogi maintains his visualization of himself as the deity in the mandala, but in addition he employs more advanced yogic techniques to transform this imagination into actuality. These techniques involve manipulation of physiological processes (mainly, it seems, having to do with respiration and the endocrine system) that results in the controlled production of certain fundamental states of mind. Insight into the nature of mind results in gnosis, the ultimate aim of the Kalacakra tantra. The first production of gnosis in the completion process is not the end of the path; it marks the first of twelve stages that are analogous to the ten bodhisattva stages of the paramita system. The yogi gradually proceeds through these stages, and eventually attains the supreme, unchanging, blissful gnosis of Buddhahood. This is the actual gnosis indicated by the Other Kdlacakra: it is the final aim of the Kalacakra tantric yoga. With this brief sketch of the entire system in mind, we are ready to consider in more detail the contents of the basic texts of the tantra - the Sri Kalacakra and the118 Vimalaprabhé.1 the $ri_Kalacakra is the Kalacakra laghutantra, the “abridged tantra." It is an abridgement of the ParanZdibuddha, the Kalacakra milatantra or "basic tantra." Although the Paramadibuddha. for the most part, did not come down to us, its subject matter is comprehensively summarized in the Sri Kalacakra. Thus, the Sri Kalacakra functions as the basic Kalacakra tantra for us.? The great commentary on the Sri Kalacakra is entitled the Vimalaprabhd - "the Stainless Light." It is one of the longest exegetical works Indian Buddhists produced, said to consist of 12,000 line: the sri Kilacakra and the VYimalaprabhd function as a unit: the tantra is mostly incomprehensible without its commentary, and the commentary makes no sense independent of the text it comments on. Together these texts form a kind of esoteric encyclopedia. qhe Sri Kalacakra (and thus the Vimalaprabha) is divided into five chapters (patala) treating the following subjects: cosmos, soul, initiation, practice, and gnosis. This order follows the fundamental structure of the system, as outlined above. The five chapters are in turn 1 For a discussion of the history of the early Kalacakra literature see Newman (1985 & 1987). 2 qghere are other Xa@lacakra tantras in the Kanjur that act as summaries of or appendices to the Sri KSlacakra. See Newman (1985:63).119 divided into varying numbers of “brief accounts" (uddeda) ; a synopsis of these follows 3 The ist chapter of the Sri Kalacakra, the chapter on cosmology, is divided inte ten brief accounts. Nine of these are translated in their entirety in Part II of this thesis, omitting only most of the ninth brief account that treats astronomy and prognostication. We will give en analysis of the translation in the next chapter of this introduction, so there is no need to duplicate that information here. The 2nd chapter of the SrI_KAlacakra treats the soul. he soul can be conveniently divided into two parts: the ody and the mind. The first is dealt with at great length in this chapter, the latter more briefly. The chapter begins with a discussion of conception and embryology, which it correlates with various theories of Buddhist soteriology. It then presents an analysis of the person in terms of Buddhists metaphysical (abhidharma) theory, incorporating elements from tantric metaphysiology. Tantric metaphysiology is then treated at 3 phe following synopsis should be read in conjunction with the detailed précis of the Paramadibuddha given at the beginning of the second brief account of the Vimalaprabha, translated in Part II of this thesis. There the subject matter of the five chapters of the Paranadibaddha is analyzed into eighty-one topics. These fopics are similarly treated in the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha.120 great length, laying out an extremely elaborate presentation of the cakras and channels of the body, as well as the winds and drops that flow through them. At the same time all of the elements of the metaphysiology are shown to have their correlates in both the cosmology and the mandala, for “the body is called 'the mandala'." Following this is an explanation of yogic practices involving the manipulation of the breath that are intended to lengthen life and make the body more workable for the development of the higher yogas. Then comes the practice of alchemy, which in this case means the production of gold through the use of elixirs. The final topic treated in this chapter is the logical analysis of philosophical views. Here a number of heterodox and Buddhist doctrines are examined; the conclusion reached is that the Madhyamaka is the superior view, all others entailing various theoretical and practical faults. The ard chapter presents the Kalacakra initiations. 4 For more information on the Ka@lacakra initiations see: Dalai Lama (1985), Sopa (198Sb), Dhargyey (1985:3- 16), Mullin (1982:117-123), Dhargyey (1975), Kalu Rinpoche (1982:15-22). These works only treat the first seven of the eleven initiations in any detail, although Glenn H. Mullin, Ngawang Dhargyey, and Kalu Rinpoche briefly describe the four exalted initiations. In the Dalai Lama's book an entire ritual text is translated, together with the Dalai Lama's own comments. However, the unprepared reader will not find this easy reading, and Geshe Sopa's survey of the initiations helps one to gain an overview of the basic processes involved.121 It begins with an explanation of the qualifications of a guru and a disciple, and a warning that if these qualifications are lacking disaster will result. Following this is a prescription for the procedures that precede the actual initiations. These include examining the site, accumulating all of the manifold materials used in the initiation rites, taking control of the site, creating a protective circle, and drawing and laying out the mandala. Then come the actual initiations. The process described includes the blessing of the disciple, leading him into the mandala, and the guru as the deity conferring the worldly and transcendental initiations. Following the description of the initiations the concluding ceremonies are explained. In these the participants worship the inhabitants of the mandala, and then dismiss then. The 4th chapter presents the yogic practices, primarily the practices of the generation process.5 It begins with instructions on how to fabricate an image of the Kalacakra deity, and a description of the places that are suitable for the practice of yoga (their main features being a lack of disturbances and easy access to food and 8 Por information on the Kalacakra generation process see: Jackson (1985), Dhargyey (1985:17-81), Mullin (1962:124-129). For the generation process in general see: Cozort (1986:39-62).122 water). Then come instructions on how to visualize the protection circle and the mandala. The preliminaries to the actual generation process are described next. These entail engaging in the common Mahayana path: going for refuge, confessing sins, rejoicing in the merits of oneself and others, generating bodhicitta, meditating on emptiness, and so forth. The actual generation process practices follow: the foremost royal mandala, the foremost royal action, the drop yoga, and the subtle yoga.© after these practices, a number of practices aimed at mundane goals - wealth, power, long life, and so forth - are explained. The chapter ends with a description of the fire sacrifice and other means of achieving the accumulation of merit, the primary purpose of the generation process. ‘The 5th chapter discusses gnosis, including both the completion process which is the path to gnosis, and the resultant gnosis itself.7 This chapter depicts Buddhahood and the direct means to achieve it. The method is the 6 For a description of these see: Jackson (1985:127- 134): 7 For the Kalacakra completion process see: Sopa (1988a), Cozort (1986:115-133), Dhargyey (1985:82-160) , Mullin (1982:129-155). For the completion process in general see: Cozort (1986:62-114), Gyatso (1982). The fast work cited is an especially detailed exposition of ‘the completion process.123 yogic emulation of the Body, Speech, and Mind of a Buddha, in this case Kalacakra. The Body of Kalacakra is his divine form and his residence, the Kalacakra mandala. The Speech of Kalacakra is his exposition of the Dharma, in particular, all of the tantras of the Vajrayana. The Mind of Kalacakra is the blissful gnosis that cognizes all knowledge and objects of knowledge. All three of these~ Body, Speech, and Mind - work together to effect the enlightenment of all sentient beings.124 Chapter 8: An Analysis of Part II The second part of this dissertation is a translation into English of the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts of § KAlacakra I.1-27, I.128-170, and Vimalaprabha I.1.1- 1.9.27, .10.128-149. The following analysis is intended to serve as a guide to the subjects discussed in the translation. The first three brief accounts of the Vimalaprabha, Vimalaprabhd I.1-I.3, do not comment on the Sri Kalacakra at all. ‘They contain introductory material providing an overview of the subject matter, intention, and history of the Kadlacakra system. The Vimalaprabha's commentary on the text of the SrI Kalacakra begins in its fourth brief account. The first brief account of the Vimalaprabha mostly deals with theology and soteriology. This brief account requires its own commentary to be fully intelligible, and in fact there is a commentary devoted solely to it in the Tanjur (Peking #2066). Since it treats the most difficult topics in the tantra, an entire dissertation could justifiably be written on this portion of the Vimalaprabha alone. I will present a literal translation based on the commentaries of Bu ston and mKhas grub, and leave a thorough explanation for the future. Vimalaprabh3 I.1.1- 21 ie an extensive homage to Klacakra in which Pundarika325 describes the various attributes and qualities of the Kalacakra deity. Vimalaprabh@ 1.1.22-28 expresses Pupdarika's intention to compose the Vimalaprabha, briefly mentions the literary history of the Kalacakra system, and exhorts the student to study the system with a guru. Vimalaprabhd I.1.29-75 describes, in a somewhat disorderly fashion, various pitfalls a yogi encounters on the path, contrasting them with their antidotes, and touches on sone of the more advanced techniques of yoga. Vimalaprabhd 1.1.76-94 portrays the sixteen great fears. 0n the surface these appear self-explanatory, but in addition to their mundane meaning they refer to obscurations of the sixteen drops that play an important role in the completion process practices. Vimalaprabha I.1.95-103 expresses Pundarika's intention to compose, and reasons for composing, the text. The second brief account of the Vimalaprabha describes the Buddha's teaching of the Par: buddha: the Kalacakra milatantra - to King Sucandra of Sambhala. It begins with a brief mention of the circumstances of the teaching - including the place, the entourage, and the requestor - and then it lists the subjects explained in the tantra. This is followed by an analysis of the contents of the Param@dibuddha in terms of eighty-one126 “natural topics."! The rest of this brief account describes in more detail the aim of the system, the place the tantra was taught, the entourage, the disciples, the Teacher, the requestor, and the general nature of the tantra. The end of the second brief account mentions the Buddha's prophecy of the development of the Kalacakra tradition, which is portrayed in the following brief account. The third brief account explains how the Kalacakra system came into being and, in particular, how it was transmitted in Sambhala. This brief account begins by describing the relationship between the Buddha, the Teacher of the tantra, and Sucandra, the requestor of the tantra. Sucandra was an emanation of Vajrapapi, the bodhisattva who is the chief redactor of the Vajrayana. After he establishes the authenticity of the Param§dibuddha, Pundarika proceeds to do the same thing for the Sri acakra and the Vimalaprabha. In order to show that the entire history of the Kalacakra is supported by an indisputable source, he cites the Paramadibuddha, i.e., the words of the Buddha. This long prophetic 1 he Sri Kalacakra is divided into thirty-two brief accounts, symbolizing the thirty-two major marks of a Buddha. The Paramsdibuddha's eighty-one topics indicate the eighty minor marks of a Buddha, together with the person that forms their substratum.127 quotation shows that the Buddha accepted the abridged Kalacakra tentra, and predicted the dynasty of Sambhala. The rest of this brief account recounts the story of the conversion of the brahman sages of Sambhala, and ends with a description of the language of the Paramadibuddha, the Sri_K@lacakra, and the Vimalaprabha. The fourth brief account begins the Vimalaprabhé's commentary on the text of the Sri Kalacakra. It begins with a discussion of why the introductory words of the tantra differ from those of the sutras and most tantras. It continues with an explanation of the four Bodies of the Buddha, describing and rejecting various wrong views. In the process, Pungarika provides an interesting argument for the omniscience of the Buddha based on the idea that the Buddha teaches the Dharma using all forms of language. This is favorably contrasted with the case of the Hindu gods, who are limited to the "parochial" Sanskrit language. The fifth brief account continues the explanation of SrZ_Kalacakra I.1. It begins with a discussion of the vajrayoga. The vajrayoga is essentially the integration (yuganaddha) of the two truths, ultimate truth and phenomenal truth. Ultimate truth is emptiness~ phenomena's lack of own-being; phenomenal truth is phenomena's existence as phenomena. These two are128 perfectly integrated within the state of Buddhahood, which in the Vimalaprabh’ is analyzed in terns of the four Bodies and their various characteristics. The brief account continues with a mention of the Dharma teaching: this is simply the Sanskrit alphabet, which in Indian thought comprehends all sound, and thus all of existence. The fifth brief account closes with a description of the purpose of the Kalacakra system. This consists of the achievement of the two yogic process - the generation process and the completion process - and their result, Buddhahood. The sixth brief account comments on Sri_kalacakra I.2. It begins with a description of the five syllable great void and the six syllable drop void, which lie at the basis of the entire Kalacakra system. This is in essence a mystical abhidharma, an analysis of a human being in terms of the different aggregates, elements, and faculties that make up a person. The components in this analysis are identified by Sanskrit syllables, and these are in turn employed in the construction of the Kalacakra mandala. The text continues with a reference to the Sankhya theory of nature and the soul, a list of the Kalacakra initiations, and a mention of the wickedness of vajraicBryas who prey on their disciples.129 The seventh brief account comments on Sri Kalacakra 1.3-9, and takes us into the Kélacakra cosmology. $ri Kalacakra I.3 presents the Buddha's reply to Sucandra's request for the Kalacakra tantra. The Vimalaprabha's discussion of this explains the different types of mantras and their functions. ri Kalacakra 1.4 portrays the Kalacakra cosmogony. $ri Kalacakra 1.5 explains the vajra body. This has ten aspects, and is one of the basic devices used in the Kalacakra system to articulate the homology of the cosmos and the soul. §ri_ kSlacakra I.6-7 explains the origination of the components of the Kalacakra abhidharma within the subtle body. These components are given mysterious names, which appear to have stumped even the Tibetan commentators. Sri Kalacakra 1.8 correlates the digits of the moon and the days of the solar year with combinations of Sanskrit syllables. These are used in the svarodaya (a type of prognostication), as well as in yoga. §ri_Kalacakra I.9 locates the series of vowels and consonants of the Sanskrit alphabet in the cakras, and correlates them with the colors and elements that make up the basic structure of the Kalacakra mandala. The eighth brief account comments on Sri_Kalacakra I.10-25. It continues the exposition of the Kalacakra cosmology, with an emphasis on cosmography. Sri_kalacakra I,10-12 describes the basic measurements of the cosmos.130 The Kalacakra cosmos consists of a giant mountain, Meru, situated on top of a series of elemental discs in space. Here in the tantra the segments of the cosmos are gesignated in terms of portions of the body. This follows from the identity of the person and the cosmos that underlies the system, and it is highly reminiscent of Jaina cosmological thinking. In fact the underworld as described here and again in §ri_KSlacakra I.15 is an obvious borrowing from Jaina sources. Sri Xdlacakra 1.13 presents the system of linear measurement used in the Kalacakra, which differs from the system used in the Abhidharmakoga. $ri_Kalacakra I.14 begins the description of the thirty-one realms of existence. The terms used here to describe the formless realms are borrowed from Jaina cosmology. Sri KBlacakra 1.15 gives a detailed Listing of the realms of existence, starting up at the formless realms and working down through the hells. Here the scheme is essentially identical to that of the Abhidharmakoga, the notable exception being the hells which, again, are borrowed from Jaina thought. §ri Kalacakra I.16-19 presents geography. Here again there is syncretion, this time with brahmanical, specifically Puranic, ideas. $rI Kadlacakra I.20-21 depicts the direction protectors and the sacred sites as situated throughout the cosmos. Elsewhere in the tantra these are131 identified with parts of the body and the mandala in a more detailed fashion. $ri_KAlacakra 1.22-23 describes the cycling of the four ages around the earth surface. Srl _Kdlacakra I.24-25 describes time reckoning. The first of these verses explains that the time periods, although given identical names, vary according to the type of being experiencing then. The ninth brief account comments on Sri KSlacakra 1.26-94, 1 only translate the first two verses in this dissertation. ri Ka@lacakra I.26 presents the basic elements of the Kdlacakra chronology, including the origin of Islam and the subsequent corruption of the Indian astronomical tradition, ri Kalacekra 1.27 explains the astronomical era used in the Kalacakra astronomy. This verse provides crucial internal evidence for dating the main texts of the Kilacakra tradition. It contains a year 403, which I believe is derived from Muslim sources. If this is the case it should be calculated in the Hijra era, and would correspond to 1012-1019 A.D. Another interpretation correlates it to the beginning of the newer Tibetan chronology, i.e., 1027 A.D. In either case it proves that the ri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabhd were composed sometime around the beginning of the 11th century (see Newnan 1987:100 [n.24]). $e KAlacakra I.26-94 and132 the Vimalaprabha's commentary thereon are not translated in this dissertation. The tenth brief account comments on $ri_kalacakra 1.95-149, dealing with svarodaya and machines. The section on svarodaya Sri Kalacakra 1.95-127 is not studied in this dissertation. $rI_Kalacakra 1.128-149 describes various machines, most of which are siege machines and other types of weapons. This portion of the text is much like a do-it-yourself manual missing three-quarters of the instructions. ‘The Vimalaprabhd does not comment on Sri_Kkalacakra 1,150-170. Pungarika merely says that it is “easily understandable," which is a little joke he uses throughout the commentary whenever he leaves a particularly interesting and difficult part of the tantra unexplained. To interpret these often highly ambiguous verses of the Sri Kalacakra, I relied on the annotations of Bu ston, the commentary of mKhas grub, and an anonymous Indian pafijika, the Padmini. I found the Indian text to be the least reliable of the three. Despite the fact it is attributed to *Kdlacakrapada the Elder in the Derge Tanjur (#1350), I have little doubt that it was written by someone having a less than superlative knowledge of the Kalacakra, and certainly not by the founder of the system.133 Sri_Kalacakra 1.150-151 describes the location of Sambhala on the earth's surface. $ri_Klacakra 1,152 describes Cakri, the cakravartin king who will destroy the barbarians at the end of the age. Sri Kalacakra 1.153 lists the incarnations of Vignu, the significance of which depends on which commentator one follows. $ri_Kalacakra 1.154 lists the barbarian teachers, i.e., the prophets of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. I have analyzed the contents of this verse in some detail. $ri_kalacakra 1.155 portraye the customs of the barbarians. §r Kdlacakra I.156 describes the incarnations of the Gnosis Body. §ri Kalacakra 1.157 returns to the topic of Sambhala and its dynasty. §ri_Kalacakra 1.158-159 introduces Raudra Cakri, the last of the Kalkis, who will annihilate the barbarians. Sri _Kalacakra I.160-163 depicts the Kalacakra Armageddon. ri Klacakra I.164-169 describes what will follow the apocalypse. In particular, it discusses the conditions of human life, the fate of the dynasty of Sambhala, and human lifespan. These all gradually degenerate during the subsequent ages, and the entire process repeats itself. Sri Kalacakra 1.170, the end of the first chapter of the tantra, recapitulates the subject matter of the chapter and forms a bridge to the next.134 It is impossible in a brief précis to do justice to the vast amount of material presented in the Part II of this dissertation. Virtually every page raises questions and issues that require extensive treatment to be fully understandable. Many subjects that are merely introduced in the portions of the text translated here are explained at much greater length later on in the text. Nevertheless, I hope that my translation makes the Kalacakra system more accessible to interested scholars, and that it helps to open the way to a thorough study of this fascinating Vajrayana tradition.135 Chapter 9: Previous Study of the Kalacakra Western scholars first became interested in the KSlacakra more than a hundred and fifty years ago, and in the last few decades in particular they have devoted considerable effort to studying various aspects of this Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, In this chapter we will provide a roughly chronological, bibliographical survey of previous research on the Kélacakra, The following survey is primarily limited to works that deal solely or mainly with the Kalacakra. The Kalacakra has often been incidentally referred to in works discussing the Vajrayana or Buddhism in general, but with few exceptions such references derive from the studies examined below. Alexander Csona de Kérés the Kalacakra was first brought to the attention of western scholars by the founder of Tibetology - Alexander csoma de Kérés - in his brief "Note on the Origin of the Kala-Chakra and Adi-Buddha systems," published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Csoma de Kords 4839; 1911). Csoma de Kérés refers to the traditional homeland of the Kalacakra, Sambhala, which he locates “between about 45° and 60° north latitude, beyond the Sita or Jaxartes, where the increase of the days from the vernal equinox till the summer solstice amounted to 12136 Indian hours, or 4 hours, 48 minutes, European reckoning" (Csoma de Kérés 1633:57; 1911:21).1 He also asserts that the system was introduced into India during the last half of the 10th century, and mentions the works of Bu ston, mKhas grub, and Padma dkar po. The main body of Csoma de Kérés's article, however, is a transcription and translation of a passage from Padma dkar po's ‘Brug pa'i chos 'byung dealing with Cilu's introduction of the K@lacakra at Nalanda. This includes the renowned K@lacakra manifesto found at VimalaprabhS 1.6.2. Considering when it was written, Csoma de Kérés's short "Note" is a remarkable piece of work. Although it contains a few errors and unwarranted assertions, it is basically sound. It is a tribute to Csoma de Kérés's scholarship that his note remained the sum total of western knowledge about the Kalacakra for the better part of a century, and that it continues to be referred to and quoted today. In the appendix to his A Grammar of the Tibetan Language in English Csoma de Kérds edited and translated 2 soma de Kérés does not state his source for his calculation of Sambhala's latitude, but it must ultimately derive from an interpretation of Sri Kalacakra 1.54 and Vimalaprabha 1.9.54. For more on this see Petri (1966:84— 87). The Sita River is probably the Tarim in Eastern Turkistan, not the Jaxartes (Syr Darya) in Western Turkistan (Newman 1985:83-84 [n. 4]).197 the chronological table (re'u mig) from the Baiglrya dkar po of sDe erid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (Csoma de Kbrés 1904:181-198). Among other things, the table presents Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho's version of the dates of: the Buddha's teaching of the Kalacakra at Dhanyakataka, Sucandra's redaction of the Kalacakra nUlatantra, Sucandra's nirvana, the successions of KalkI Yaéas and kalkT Samudravijaya, the beginning of the Kalacakra astronomical era, the origin of the barbarians, the introduction of the Kalacakra into India and into Tibet, and the succession of Kalki Hari.? In his notes to the chronological table Csona de Kérds identifies the site of Sri pbanyakataka with Cuttack in Orissa, and reconstructs the sanskrit of “Rigs dan Grags pa" as "Kulika Kirti" (ceoma de Kérés 1834:192-193): these mistakes have been repeated in scholarly writings down to quite recent times Hara Prasad shastri Although Hara Prasad Shastri did not write anything of note on the Kalacakra, his discovery and notices of important Kalacakra manuscripts deserve special mention. At the end of his “Notes on Palm-leaf MSS. in the Library 2 Note: Csoma de Kérts erred with regards to the correlation of the Tibetan era and the Christian era; the A.D. dates in his table must all be increased by two years.138 of His Excellency the Naharaja of Nepal" (Shastri 1897) Shastri transcribes and discusses the colophon of an invaluable illustrated manuscript of the Vimalaprabh Among the many unique features of this manuscript is the fact that its copying is dated 1818 in a parinirvana era. (Shastri mistakenly says this refers to the actual composition of the text.) The era involved is almost certainly that of the Sinhalese, as Shastri conjectures, and the date of the manuscript is ca. 1274 A.D. The colophon informs us that the manuscript was copied at the Dharmadhatu vindra in Nepal by two Bengalis, Tathagatavara and Pupgra. Shastri's final lines on this manuscript are noteworthy: "There are numerous illustrations in this work representing Buddha as Upaya, as male, and Dharma, otherwise prajfd, as female. The Kamakald is represented as producing the Samgha represented by the Bodhisattvas. The MS. and the illustrations are in excellent preservation" (Shastri 1897:316). The value of this manuscript, for both its text and ite illustrations, requires no comment. In the winter of 1985 I inquired after and searched for this manuscript at the National archives, the Kaiser Library, and the Nepal- German Manuscript Preservation Project card catalogue in Kathmandu, without success. However, the Kaiser Library's "MSS. Catalogue" p. 25 has the following entry: "MS. #443139 Kalacakratantratiké-vimalaprabh palm, Newari,: prophessar fuci Kahan gaeko." This manuscript is missing from the Kaiser Library's collection. Similarly, at the National archives I was told by the authorities that Giuseppe Tucci had borrowed yet another manuscript of the Vimalaprabha along with a number of other important manuscripts, but they had not been returned. It is clear that at one time Tucci was working on, or at least had planned, an edition of the Vimalaprabha (GOS 1933:9; Tucci 1940:62 [n. 73]). We can only hope that the Vimalaprabhd manuscripts Tucci collected are in the safekeeping of his heirs, and that they will eventually become available to scholars working on the Kalacakra. In his A Descriptive Cataloque of Sanscrit Manuscripts in the Government Collection Under the Care of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Shastri 1917) Shastri describes a number of important Kalacakra manuscripts. these consist of two manuscripts of the Vimalaprabhd (our Mss N & B) (Shastri 1917:73-82), and the unique manuscripts of Sadhuputra Sridharananda's Sekoddegatippani (Shastri 1917:151-152) and Abhayakaragupta's Ka@lacakravatara (Shastri 1917:161-162). Shastri's descriptions include transcriptions of the colophons and extracts from the texts.140 Albert Grinwedel? Towards the end of the 19th century Albert Griinwedel became interested in the Kalacakra, In his Mythologie des Buddhismus in Tibet und der Mongolei (cf. Grinwedel 1900:44-45, 60) and later works he makes passing references to the system, but insofar as they are reliable they add littie to the information already presented by Csoma de Kérés. Grunwedel's major contribution to the study of the Kalacakra is his "Der Weg nach Sambhala" (Grunwedel 1915). ‘This work consists of an edition and translation of the Panchen Lana blo bzang dpal idan ye shes's Shambha la'i jam yig; it has now been largely superceded by Bernbaum's study of the Kalapavata@ra (Bernbaum 1986; see below). In Die Teufel des Avesta (Griinwedel 1924) Grunwedel ranges far and wide, and in the process he transcribes, translates, and studies a number of verses from the Sri Kalacakr: His translations and explanations of these verses are utterly independent of the explanations 3 For a biography of Griinwedel, a survey of his work, and a comprehensive bibliography, see Schubert (1936). Grinwedel's study of the Kalacakra is discussed at Schubert (1936:133, 134, 195, 137). 4 For a list of these verses and the locations of their treatments in Die Teufel des Avesta see Schubert (1953:436, n. 89). (I only have available pages 31-46 of the second volume of this rare book, where Grinwedel studies Sri Kalacakra I.10-25.)14a contained in the Vimalaprabhd and the rest of the Klacakra literature; they seem to be a mixture of fantasy and free-association. Grinwedel also produced a critical edition and study of the Sri Kalacakra, intended for the Bibliotheca Buddhica, but it was never published. The work consisted (consists?) of an edition of the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts, a German analysis, and Sanskrit and Tibetan indices. (A detailed description of the manuscript of this work is given by Schubert [1953:434-437, n. 59].) It is unfortunate that the text editions were not made available to scholars, but if his treatment of the verses of the Sri kdlacakra in Die Teufel des Avesta is any indication, it is better that the translations and analysis were not published. George N. Roerich George N. Roerich (also known as J.N.Rerikh, George Nicholas de Roerich, Georges de Roerich) made two major contributions to the study of the history of the Kdlacakra. The first of these, his "Studies in the KSlacakra I" (Roerich 1932), was to be only the first of a series of studies in which he intended "to translate certain Tibetan historical texts on the Kalacakra doctrine and the Realm of Gambhala, and thus prepare the way for a142 translation and an exhaustive commentary of the Kalacakramiilatantra, and the other texts included in the Kanjir and Tanjir" (Roerich 1992:12). Unfortunately, Roerich's plan was not carried out, and the first of his "Studies" was also the last. The "Studies" begins with a brief discussion of the importance of the Kalacakra for the history of Buddhism in Tibet and Central Asia, and continues with a list of some of the major Tibetan chos ‘byung and other works on K3lacakra by Bu ston, mKhas grub, 'Gos gzhon nu dpal, Padma dkar po, Tarandtha, Panchen blo bzang chos kyi royal mthsan, sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho, Sum pa mkhan po, and kbong rdol bla ma. Roerich then mentions the guidebooks (lam yig) to Sambhala, referring to the Kaldpavat@ra, Panchen blo bzang dpal ldan ye shes's Shambha_Ja'i lam yig, Laufer's translation of an anonymous lam yig (since identified as Man lungs Guru's), and other works related to Sambhala. He also notes the curious episode of the Jesuit missionaries Stephen Cacella and John Cabral, who set out for “Xembala" in 1627. Although Cabral never reached Sambhala, he wins the palm for being the first Occidental to correctly identify its location, for he says: “Xembala is in my opinion not Cathay but what in our maps is called Great Tartare: (Roerich 1932:16). Roerich next refers to the Tibetan traditions regarding143 the first teaching of the Kdlacakra at Dhanyakataka, and the problem of whether or not Western religions (specifically Zervanism and Manichaeism) had any influence on the system. The second half of Roerich's "Studies" is a valuable translation of mKhas grub's version of the history of the Kalacakra in India.5 Roerich's translation is excellent - it is a testimony to his fine knowledge of Tibetan. It is unfortunate that the journal in which Roerich's tudies in the Kalacakra I" was published, the Journal of the 'Urusvati' Himalayan Research Institute of the Roerich Museum, received such limited circulation. The "Studies" reviews all of the previous western research on the K@lacakra, and clearly indicates the richness of the Tibetan literature on the subject. If the information contained in this article had been more widely known it might have precluded some of the baseless speculation that characterizes all] too much of subsequent Western writings on the Kalacakra. Roerich's second contribution to the study of the history of the Kalacakra is the 10th chapter of the Blue 5 Unbeknownst to Roerich, mKhas grub merely reproduces (almost verbatim) the earlier account of Bu ston. I have translated Bu ston's version in Newman (1985:66-71), which is superceded by the rendering in Chapter 6 of this dissertation.144 Annals (Roerich 1949:789-838), his monumental translation of the Deb ther _sngon po of ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal. ‘Gos lo tsa ba appears to have compiled all the accounts of the history of the Kdlacakra that were available to him. Many of the sources he used are not known to be extant: in particular, he gives lengthy excerpts from, or summaries of, the rGyud la ‘jug pa'i man ngaq rin po che za ma tog kha _'byed pa of gan bang so ba Chos kyi dbang phyug, and the Dus kyi 'khor lo'i bsdus don of bSod nams ‘od zer (Roerich 1949:756-762). Both of these works predate Bu ston's Rin chen gces pati Ide mig, and thus they are extremely important for untangling the early history of the Kalacakra. In brief, the 10th chapter of the Deb ther sngon po is a gold mine of information on the history of the Klacakra, and Roerich's excellent translation (done with the assistance of aGe ‘dun chos 'phel) is a valuable aid to the study of the Tibetan text. Mario E. Carelli In 1941 Mario E. Garelli's edition of Naro's Param&rthasanqraha-ndma-sekoddeSatika appeared in the Gaekwad's Oriental Series (Carelli 1941a).® This made 6 carelli, following his manuscript, calls the text simply Sekoddesatika. I give the title as it appears at the head of the Tibetan translation, in order to more easily distinguish it from *Kalacakrapada's Sekoddesatil145 available a major work on the Kalacakra in its original language, a work by one of the most importent figures in the history of the Vajrayana.7 Carelli's edition is essentially an unrevised transcription of a single, almost complete, palm leaf manuscript written in an old Newari script.8 Although he refers to the Tibetan translation a few times, a comparison of the printed text with the Tibetan translation quickly shows that Carelli was correct in his supposition that "this work may have to be subjected to a thorough revision before its second edition" (Carelli 1941a:1). In fact, many of the readings in the printed text can be easily corrected in light of the Tibetan version; others are more problematic and require considerable knowledge of the subject matter of 7 Hoffmann (1951) and Nihom (1984) provide valuable notes on some of the many quotations in Naro's tika, but sone of their assertions about the relation of the text to other texts in the Kalacakra corpus are incorrect; see Newman (1987). 8 For a brief description of the manuscript, and the story behind Carelli's editing of the text, see Carelli (i94la:1, 75; 1941b:333). The manuscript Carelli used Seens to be missing from the National Archives in Kathmandu (formerly the Bir Library): in December 1986 I was unable to locate it in the Nepal-German Manuscript Preservation Project's card catalogue, and it is not listed in the BrhatsicIpatram, Another manuscript (paper; Newari script; $0 folios) is preserved in the Archives: MS 5-116; NGMPP reel #8 94/9. I have not yet examined it thoroughly, but it seems to be a poorly preserved copy of the manuscript Carelli used - it is missing the sane portion of the text Carelli's manuscript lacked (cf. Paramarthasaggraha 21).146 the text before they can be decided with any certainty, A more serious problem is that it is unclear whether or not carelli realized that the Paramarthasapgraha is a commentary on the Sekodde’a. He seems to refer to this fact (Carelli i94ia: 1941b:333), but it is odd that he would have published the commentary without providing an edition of the relatively brief text it comments on. Without taking into account the root text, scholars have referred to Carelli's edition in order to provide a textual basis for their interpretations of particular points of Vajrayana doctrine,!0 but no one has yet attempted a detailed study of the entire text. carelli provides an introduction to the text (Carelli 1941a:5-35), a brief précis of which is published separately (Carelli 1941b). The introduction begins with general remarks on Vajrayana thought, with an emphasis on the idea of seka, or abhiseka. Carelli touches on the traditional account of the origin of the Vajrayana 9 The English subtitle to Carglli's edition is "Being a commentary of the Sekoddeéa Section of the Kalacakra Tantra." I wonder if Carelli thought Naro's text was a commentary on the abhigekapatala of the Sri ‘acakra? Scholarly confusion about the relation of ‘o's tika to other texts in the Kalacakra corpus has persisted up to the present - see: Hoffmann (1951:144), Nihom (1984), Newman (1987). 10 por recent utilization of Carelli's edition see: Kvaerne (1975), Snellgrove (1987:205, 224 [n. 171], 250 [n. 217], 262-264, 285).347 presented in the Param&rthasaygraha, and then discourses at some length on the four vajrayogas, the four abhisambodhis, the ten nimittas, and the meaning of the names Adibuddha and Kalacakra. The second half of the introduction is devoted to a description of the Kalacakra initiation rites, including the raks@, the consecration of the vases, the consecration of the disciple, the homage to the deities, the puja, the pledges and vows, the krodhavega, the entrance into the mandala, and the eleven initiations. Carelli's introduction is a bold and oftentimes successful assay of a still poorly known subject. Insofar as he understands and presents the views of Naro, it is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the Kalacakra initiations and yoga. Unfortunately Carelli sometimes takes off on flights of mystico-poetic fancy, and his essay is all too often marred by statements like, “All is truth, all is God...," and “Sucandra's guru was Sambuddha himself and everybody's guru is looked at as a personal manifestation of God" (Carelli 1941a:24). The reader must have some background in the subject to be able to separate the Buddhism from Carelli's rather idiosyncratic views. Nonetheless, Carelli's enthusiasm and appreciation for the material he deals with is a refreshing change from most of the previous writings on the Vajrayana, and students of148 the KAlacakra shall be forever grateful for his edition of N&ro's tik@, a work produced under difficult conditions. It seems that Carelli, together with Giuseppe Tucci, was engaged in an edition of the Vimalaprabh@. Tucci writes: “{The Vimalaprabha] is the commentary upon the K@lacakra; it is being edited by my pupil Doctor M. Carelli and myself in the Gaekwad's oriental Series" (mucci 1940:62 [n. 73]). Although Tucci had already announced his edition as a work in progress in 1933 (GOS 1933:9), it never appeared. Helmut 1 Hoffmann Helmut H.R, Hoffmann is in many ways the leading western scholar of the Kalacakra. Besides his own studies of the system, he has inspired the research of his students Biswanath Banerjee, Winfried Petri, and Guntur Grénbold, whose works will be considered later. My own interest in the Kalacakra was sparked in part by reading Hoffmann's The Religions of Tibet. Hoffmann's publications on the Kalacakra span the better part of three decades, and we will discuss them in chronological order.11 1 would like to stress that my disagreement 11 am grateful to Professor Hoffmann for sending me an offprint of his "Curriculum Vitae" (Hoffmann 19776) marked to indicate his publications concerning the Kalacakra. Three publications not listed in the149 with, and criticism of, sone of Hoffmann's interpretations and theories should not be taken as lack of respect for his fine scholarship. Hoffmann's first work on the Kalacakra, "Litararhistorische Bemerkungen zur SeXoddeSatika des Nadapada" (Hoffmann 1951) is a review article on Garelli's edition of the Paramarthasaygraha. Hoffmann begins by noting the significance of this particular text, as well as the importance of the Kalacakra as a whole. Like Csoma de Kérés and Grinwedel, he says the Kalacakra came into effect in India during the second half of the 10th century. Hoffmann notes two especially significant problems the Kalacakra presents to the historian of religions: 1) the value of the Kalacakra as a last stage in the accommodation between declining Vajrayana Buddhism and the religious tendencies of contemporary Hinduism, especially those of Vaignavism; and 2) the question of the extent of West Asian religions's influence on the KAlacakra and all of later Buddhism. Hoffmann notes that the latter question is related to the problem of the location of Sambhala. Although he does not address these issues in the present article, they form the basic themes for much of his later writing on the Kalacakra. “Curriculum Vitae" are Hoffmann (1960), (1968), and (1977a), cited in the bibliography to this dissertation.150 Hoffmann continues with reference to various dates proposed for the nirvana of Naro - 1027, 1039, and 1053- without offering an opinion as to which one might be correct. He then notes the quotations of named authors appearing in the ParamSrthasamgraha, those of Nagarjuna, Kambalambara, Saraha, Aryadeva, Indrabhiti, Candragomin, Vajragarbha, Pupgarika, and Bhusuku. The next section of the “Bemerkun; is a discussion of the identities and dates of these authors. (Most of these authors are mah&siddhas, and even today they remain obscure and controversial figures.) Hoffmann then identifies some of the quotations from tantras appearing in Naro's tik, in particular those from the Kalacakra corpus. Here Hoffmann erroneously identifies certain verses in sragdhara as coming from the Sekoddesa when in fact they are drawn from the Sri _Kalacakra.}2 He also addresses the tantra classification system presented in SekoddeSa 3-5. Although this has been studied by Carelli (1941a:5), Hoffmann (1951:144-145), Shendge (1966:98), and Nihom (1984), its exact significance remains obscure, and further research is needed, Hoffmann then considers the source of some other sragdhard verses quoted by Naro, and 12 qghis is pointed out by M. Nihom (1984:19-20). However, I am afraid that Nihom's own assertions about the Kalacakra corpus are for the most part a mass of confused misinformation; cf. Newman (1987).151 concludes that “ftir das Kalacakra-System die Identitat von uttara- und Laghutantra ergibt" (Hoffmann 1951:145), This is incorrect: as pointed out by M. Nihom (1984:20-21), the $ri_Kalacakra (the Kalacakra laghutantra) and the Tantrahrdava (the Kalacakra tantrottara) are different texts; the latter is an addendum to the former. Hoffmann correctly notes the important citations from the Kalacakra milatantra appearing in the Paramarthasamgraha, and discusses the references to Dhanyakataka as the homeland of the Vajrayana. In a note Hoffmann says: "Eine Ausgabe des Uttaratantra {sic., read: laghutantra) (Sanskrit und Tibetisch) bereite ich vor" (Hoffmann 1951:146, [n. 11). Since reiterated (Hoffmann 1956:119 (n, 143]; 1961:124 [n. 1]; 1977a), Hoffman's edition of the $ri_Kalacakra has not yet appeared. The “Bemerkungen" ends with a mention of the quotations from the Vimalaprabha, the Paramarthaseva, and the Namasangiti appearing in the Paranairthasapgraha. In Die Religionen Tibets (Hoffmann 1956; English translation: Hoffmann 1961) Hoffmann devotes several pages to a synoptic history of the Kalacakra (Hoffmann 1956:118- 128; 1961:123-130; st passim). Hoffmann, following Tucci, perceives parallels between various Manichaean and Buddhist ideas, and thinks there may be some Manichaean influence on the Kalacakra (Hoffmann 1956:41; 1961:52).152 This is a theory that Hoffmann repeats frequently throughout his later publications, and occasionally one gets the impression this in not a theory, but a fact (cf. Hoffmann 196 8-99; 1967a:406; 1969:58-59, 67; 19752142). (1 disagree with Hoffmann on this point for reasons I will elaborate below.) Hoffmann reports that Sum pa mkhan po Ye shes dpal ‘byor says that among Atiéa's disciples was" "Pi-to-pa, welcher zur Zeit des Kénigs Mahipala von Bengalen das Kalacakrasystem in Indien gelehrt haben soll" (Hoffmann 1986:118, cf. 122, 124; cf. 1961:120, 126-128). As stated in chapter 7 of this Introduction, I believe the Pingo who introduced the KAlacakra was Atiéa's guru, not his disciple. Following Grinedel, Hoffmann says: "Wach der chronologischen Tabelle Re'u-mig hatte [Atiga] sein Werk uber die Chronologie im Jahre 1051 in Zentraltibet geschreiben” (Hoffmann 195: 17; 1961:122; also 1975:142). As noted above in Chapter 6, this is based on a misunderstanding of the term bstan rtsis, which means " calculation of the duration of the doctrine," not "a work on chronology." Hoffmann begins his actual treatment of the Kalacakra in Die Religionen Tibets with the statement: "Ka@lacakra bedeutet wortlich ‘das Rad der Zeit' und dlrfte, wie schon B. Laufer [Laufer 1907:403] festellte, urspringlich den oben erwahnten Zyklus der zwolf Tiere bezeichnet haben"183 (Hoffmann 1956:118; cf, 1961:129; also 1975:142). This is incorrect: although the Indian Brhaspati sexagenary cycle does play a role in Kalacakra chronology, there is no mention of the Sino-Central Asian duodenary animal cycle in the Indian Kalacakra literature. Hoffmann says: Religionsgeschichtlich gesehen, stellt das Kalacakra den letzten Versuch des in Indien unaufhaltsam untergehenden und entartenden Buddhismus dar, durch reichliche Anleihen aus den machtig aufstrebenden Systemen des Shivaismus und besonders Vishnuismus, anderseits aber auch durch Aneignung fremder, westlicher Lehren seine Anziehungskraft fur Religiose und Laien wieder zu verstarken. Bis zu einem gewissen Grede ist ihm das auch durchaus gelungen, doch barg diese Entwicklung gleichzeitig den Keim des Todes in sich, da der Buddhismus so viel von seinem eigensten Wesen aufgegeben und sich den andern zeitgendssischen Religionen derart angeglichen hatte, dass seiner Sonderexistenz keine Notwendigkeit mehr innewohnte und schliesslich nur der Schock des mohammedanischen Einbruchs im dstlichen Indien (1193) genigte, um ihn zu vernichten (Hoffmann 1956:118- 119; cf, 1961:129-124) . Hoffmann repeats this theory even more forcefully in a later publication: Dieser ganze spite Buddhismus [i.e., the Vajrayana] war, wie wir gesehen haben, im Grunde nur noch eine Variente des kontemporaren Hinduismus, und nur so its es zu verstehen, dass er nach Wegfall der Protektion durch die Pala-Kénige und das mohammedanische Massaker von 1197 aus seinem Ursprungslande ziemlich schnell verschwand (Hoffmann 1967a:406). The idea that the Vajrayana was “nur noch eine Variente des kontempordren Hinduismus" is no longer generally accepted. Of course late Indian Buddhism, in154 common with earlier phases of Indian Buddhism, was an Indian religion. Like all Indian religions Buddhism subscribed to a common Indian Weltanschauung, but it was always quite distinct from other traditions in the minds of its adherents and its opponents. It is true that the K@lacakra utilizes elements from heterodox religions in an attempt to win converts to Buddhism, but this is a mark of strength, not weakness. Religious syncretism occurs when a religion is aggressively attempting to co-opt the adherents of another tradition, not when the religion is on the defensive. The theory that the Kalacakra abandoned so much that was essential to Buddhism that it ‘contained the seeds of Buddhism's death' is totally unwarranted. Although the Kalacakra sometimes interprets earlier Buddhist doctrines in an innovative fashion, it propounds the Four Noble Truths, the twelve-factor dependent origination, renunciation of samsara, bodhicitta, the perfections, Madhyamaka philosophy, and so forth. The Vimalaprabha, concurring with the mainstream view of Indo Tibetan Buddhism, asserts that one must master all three vehicles in order to master the Vajrayana. In brief, the cause of the disappearance of Buddhism from India must be sought elsewhere. Hoffmann continues his account of the Kalacakra in Die Religionen Tibets with a discussion of the Buddha's155 teaching of the Kdlacakra to Sucandra at Dhdnyakataka, and of Sembhala. He thinks it is likely that Sambhala was originally an actual place that later faded into myth, and that it is probable that the Kalacakra was introduced into India from a foreign land. I agree with the first theory, with some qualifications, but not with the second. Although the Kalacakra tradition claims that the system was reintroduced into India from Sambhala, I believe it originated in India, The simplest (and most telling) argument in support of my theory is that the kalacakra was quite unintelligible to anyone but highly educated Indians. Hoffmann also discusses the Kalkis of Sambhala. In the German text he refers to them as “Kulika" (Hoffmann 1956:121), but the English translation first has "'Kulika’ or 'Kalki'" and then proceeds to use the form “Kulika" (Hoffmann 1964:125). This erroneous reconstruction originated with Csoma de Kérés, as mentioned above. It would appear that in the interval between the publication of the Die Religionen Tibets and its English translation Hoffmann realized that the Sanskrit original of rigs Idan here is not kulika, but kalkin. (In his later publications he uses the not quite correct form "Kalki" exclusively.) Hoffmann, following Grinwedel, thinks the story of the conversion of Siiryaratha and the sages in Vimalaprabha 1.3 is “offenbar ein Dokument der156 Auseinandersetzung mit einem fremden Religionssysten" (Hoffmann 1986:121; cf. 1964:126). T disagree with this: the sages are clearly specified as brahman sages; I read the story as a parable intended for an Indian brahman audience. Hoffmann refers to Kalki Mafijusri yasas as "Kulika ManjuSrikirti" here; as pointed out above, Csoma de Kérés is the ultimate source for these mistaken reconstructions. Hoffmann says: Yber die Tatsache der Einfihrung des Kalacakra von Shambhala nach Indien 60 Jahre vor der Rezeption in Tibet sind die Historiker sich einig. Da das Jahr 1026 als der Zeitpunkt der offiziellen Annahme in Tibet gilt, kamen wir auf das Jahr 966 als Datum der Einfuhrung in Indien (Hoffmann 1956:121; cf. 1964:126).* Hoffmann has repeated this so many times that it has come to be regarded as a fact (Hoffmann 1960:96; 1964:125; 1967b:40; 1969:53; 1973:136; 1975:144). Actually, the Tibetan historians are anything but unanimous on this point, Bu ston seems to imply that the Kalacakra was not introduced into India until 1027 (cf. Newman 1967:100 [n. 24]). ‘Gos gZhon nu pal reports that “most of the later scholars" held that the Kalacakra was first introduced into India in 1027 (‘das lo'i thog ma'i rab ju pa), but his own view is that it was introduced long 13 Hoffmann also gives this date as 967 (Hoffmann 1960:96; 1969:53; 1973:136), and 965 (Hoffmann 1964:125).187 before that time (Deb ther sngon po 885-887, cf, 998-899; Roerich 1949:753-7555, cf. 765-766). mKhas grub seeks to obscure the issue altogether, and says it is impossible determine the date of the introduction of the KAlacakra into India with any degree of precision. 966 A.D. as the date of the introduction of the Kalacakra into India goes back to Csoma de Kérés's study of sDe srid Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho's re'u mig (Csoma de Kérds 1634:183). T have not investigated Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho's reasons for this assertion, but it is contradicted by the fact that the astronomical era given at Sri Kalacakra 1.27 corresponds to a date falling in the first two decades of the 11th century (Newman 1987:100 [n.24]). In brief, I have seen no cogent evidence to support the theory that the KSlacakra was introduced into India during the middle of the 10th century, and believe this actually occurred early in the 11th century. Hoffmann next discusses the problem of which master introduced the Kalacakra into India. He rejects "Pi-to- pa," thinks "fsi-lu-pa" and *Kalacakrapada the Elder are probably two names for the same individual, and that this master introduced the KAlacakra (cf. Hoffmann 1975:144). Hoffmann gives a paraphrase of Padma dkar po's version of the story of Cilu's introduction of the Kalacakra, portions of which were previously translated by Csoma de18 Kords. Like Csoma de Korés and others, here and elsewhere Hoffmann does not realize that mChog ai dang po'i_sangs rayas (i.e., Paramadibuddha) and mTshan yang dag par brijod pa (NimasangTti) in the 'K@lacakra manifesto are the titles of texts (Hoffmann 1956:129; 1961:128; 1964:129- 130; 1967:40). Hoffmann continues his account with a description of the introduction of the KAlacakra into Tibet. He refers to the translation work of Gyi jo Zia ba'i ‘od zer, and the Kalacakra traditions established by ‘Bro Shes rab grage and Rwa Chos rab, iis sources for this section appear to be Padna dkar po and Sun pa mkhan po Ye shes apal ‘byor. Hoffmann asserts that Gyi Jo's teacher Bhadrabodhi was a disciple of Cilu, and that 'Bro Shes rab grags's teacher Somandtha was a disciple of Naro. These theories are in fact problenatic. Hoffmann also says that Rwa chos rab studied in Kashnir under the Kashmiri naster Samantagri. SamantaérI was in actually a Newari, and Chos rab firet studied with him in Nepal. Hoffmann concludes hia treatment of the KAlacakra in Die Religionen Tibets with a mention of Tibetan Ka@lacakra traditions of the ietheisth centuries. Hoffman's essay on the KAlacakra in Die Religionen Tibets presents some new information - mostly from the historical works of Padma dkar po and Sum pa mkhan po~159 and reformulates information already presented by western scholars. Unfortunately Hoffmann perpetuates some of the errors and unwarranted assertions of previous scholars, and adds a few of his own. However, these defects are more than counterbalanced by the fact that Hoffmann has written here the first connected account of the entire history of the Kalacakra, and that it is for the most part sound. I have devoted a detailed critique to this work because the material and ideas put forth in it are repeated in Hoffman's later publications, and because it has been widely read and quoted by other scholars. “Manichaeism and Islam in the Buddhist Kalacakra system" (Hoffmann 1960) is a précis of the paper that Hoffmann later developed into "Kalacakra Studies I: Manichaeism, Christianity, and Islam in the KSlacakra Tantra" (Hoffmann 1969). Since we will discuss the latter essay below, there is no need to consider the précis in any detail. However, the abstract presents the clearest articulation of Hoffmann's theory of the origin of the Kalacakra, and it is worthwhile to examine this here. Hoffmann says: According to its own literature the system, called ‘Wheel of Time,’ has been brought 967 A.D. [sic] to India from the country of Sambhala. The Muslims are mentioned in the Kalacakra Tantra very often be [sic] the worst enemies of Buddhism. Especially the text depicts a terrible eschatological battle which will end with the definite Buddhist victory over the160 Muslim gangs. This conception makes clear, that the Kalacakra really did not originate in India herself. For the year 967 A.D. precedes the first efficacious Muslim intrusions into India proper, which took place under the auspices of Mahmud of Ghazni (about 1000 A.D.). But Buddhist Central Asia had been pressed by the followers of Mohammed already for three centuries (Hoffmann 1960:96-97). As noted above, Hoffmann seems to accept the date 967 A.D. - which only appears in certain relatively late Tibetan sources - as a fact. However, this date is not supported by the earlier Tibetan sources, and it is contradicted by internal evidence found in the primary Sanskrit Kalacakra texts themselves. From the latter evidence, and from the few facts that can be gleaned fron the guru lineage accounts, it seems more likely that the Kalacakra originated somewhat later, i.e., early in the 11th century. By this time, as Hoffmann rightly notes, Islam had definitely made itself known in North India. This leads us to examine the geographical origin of the Kdlacakra. Hoffmann appears to follow the unanimous assertion of the Kalacakra tradition that the system was (re-) introduced into India from Sambhala, a land which in any case must be located in the general region of Turkistan, In my opinion, this generates insoluble problems. First, the early Kalacakra literature is written in Sanskrit, and there is no evidence to suggest that Sanskrit was used in Turkistan so late as the 11th161 century. Second, the Kalacakra presupposes the entire development of the anuttarayoga-type tantras, and there is no evidence to suggest that such tantras were known in Turkistan so early as the 1ith century. Third, the Kalacakra literature assumes a very sophisticated knowledge of both Buddhist and heterodox Indian religious traditions, and natives of Turkistan could not have read it, much less written it, unless they had received an education that could only be had in India, All this convinces me that the Kalacakra was created by an Indian, in India, for an Indian audience. (The Vimalaprabha was certainly written in Indi: Pupgarika repeatedly writes "here in the land of the Aryans," and clearly defines "the land of the Aryans" as India.) This explanation is simpler than Hoffmann's theory: it is conceivable that an Indian could have had sufficient knowledge of Islam and things Central Asian to be able to produce the Kalacakra, but it stretches credulity to postulate that a Central Asian could have, or would have, developed an extremely complex soteriological system that was only intelligible to Indians. Hoffmann's next publication to deal with the Klacakra is his “Das Kalacakra, die letzte Phase des Buddhismus in Indien" (Hoffmann 1964). The first half of this brief article presents general remarks on the162 historical development of Buddhism in India as a context for the discussion of the K@lacakra in the latter half. Here, as in his other publications, Hoffmann emphasizes the theory that Western religious ideas, particularly those emanating from Iran, played an important role in the development of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. For Die Pentade von § example, like Tucci, Hoffmann believe: Buddhas, die aus dem Urbuddha (Adibuddha) dieser Systeme emaniert, dirfte manichdischen Ursprungs sein" (Hoffmann 1964:127; cf. Tucci 1934:346, 949-351). In lieu of any evidence to support it, this sort of speculation is pointless and misleading. The five tathdgatas of the Buddhist tantras are explicitly described as symbolizing the five gnoses, which are in turn transmutations of the five psycho-physical personality aggregates. The five aggregates, of course, pervade the entire course of Buddhist thought, and there is no need to invoke Manichaean influence to explain a doctrinal development that can be more easily understood as having occurred within Buddhism itself. Hoffmann begins his discussion of the Kalacakra by stating that the tradition alleges that the system was imported into India from the northwest. Thus, he says, the Kalacakra probably does not have a genetic relationship with the old Indian time-god Kala; rather, it163 is probably connected with the Zoroastrian time-god Zurvan, who also influenced Manichaeism. Hoffmann continues by noting the gloss on kalacakra given by Néro in the Paran“cthasamgraha (which in fact is drawn from the Vimalaprabha), and gives a brief description of the K@lacakra mantric cosmogram, the dad&kéravasi. He notes the complexity of the Kalacakra astronomy, and mentions his collaboration with Winfried Petri in the study of the systen. Next Hoffmann gives a brief synopsis of the history of the Kdlacakra. Except for a somewhat more detailed account of the first teaching of the system at Dhanyakataka, and some minor details, this section is simply a summary of the information presented in Die Religionen Tibet: The concluding section of "Das Kalacakra, die letzte Phase des Buddhismus in Indien" discusses the problem of Hindu and foreign influences on the Kalacakra. Hoffmann notes that this problem is related to the location of Sambhala, which unfortunately cannot be precisely determined from the latitudinal value given for it in the Sri Kalacakra. He also mentions the list of heterodox teachers given at Sri Kalacakra 1.154,14 which he says 14 Were and elsewhere Hoffmann erroneously designates this verse as "152."164 derives from Muslim and Manichaean sources. Hoffmann believes that the eschatological doctrines of the Kdlacakra, specifically the war at the end of the age between Raudra Cakri!5 and the barbarians, proves that the system is influenced by western religions. He says: Im acakra kénnen wir iberdies eine interessante Angleichung des entlehnten Gedankens einer Endzeit mit der echt indischen zyklischen Weltalterlehre festellen..." (Hoffmann 1964: 31; cf, 1967¢:372; 1975:143). Since time is cyclical in the common Indian notion, he reasons, the appearance of an Endzeit in the Kalacakra demonstrates that it is influenced by Iranian ideas. I disagree with Hoffmann on this point. Even if we assume that the idea of an apocalyptic war was imported into India (a theory that is plausible, but not proven), this occurred long before the origin of the Kalacakra. The Kalacakra eschatology is clearly an adaptation of the Epic and Puranic myth of Kalki; there is no need to posit any direct Iranian influence. Hoffmann ends “Das Kalacakra, die letzte Phase des Buddhismus in Indien" with an announcement of his plan to 15 Here and elsewhere in his publications Hoffmann spells this name “Rudra Cakrin." The form raudra appears in the manuscripts and printed editions of the Sanskrit.165 produce a detailed study of the Kalacakra in collaboration with other scholars. In a lengthy article entitled "Hinduismus und Buddhismus von Ashoka bis zur mohammedanischen Eroberung" Hoffmann devotes two pages to the KAlacakra (Hoffmann 1967a:405-406), but all of the information contained therein is repeated from his previous publications. The same is true of Hoffmann's brief treatment of the K@lacakra in his book Symbolik der tibetischen Religionen und des Schamanismus (Hoffmann 1967b:40-41 & passim); the only noteworthy exception is his mention that the second chapter of the Sri Kalacakra contains an allegorical interpretation of the Kalacakra Armageddon. In "Die Polaritatslehre des spiten Buddhismus” (Hoffmann 1967¢:372) Hoffmann briefly refers to the doctrine of Kalki(n) in the Puranas and in the Kalacakra. He announces a study which is to offer a new interpretation of the Puranic references to KalkT, but this has not appeared. Hoffmann writes: “Eine ausfihrlich dokumentierte Darstellung dieses Problems und des ganzen Komplexes der Initiation im spaten Buddhismus soll in den Sitzungsberichten der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften unter dem Titel 'Initiationsriten im Kalacakra und im spaten Buddhismus wberhaupt' erscheinen"166 (Hoffmann 1967¢:377 [m. 38]; cf. 1967b:43 [n. 17]). In 1968 Hoffmann published a one page abstract of a work entitled “Initiationsriten im spaten Buddhismis" in the Sitzungsberichte (Hoffmann 1968), but his detailed study of the Kalacakra initiation rites did not appear. KElacakra Studies I: Manichaeism, Christianity, and Islam in the Kalacakra Tantr (Hoffmann 1969) is perhaps the most important of Hoffmann's contributions to the study of the Kalacakra. The main body of this article is an edition and translation of the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts of éri Kalacakra 1.153-155,16 which describe the teachers and practices of the "barbarians" (i.e., Muslims). In the notes to my own translation of these verses I give a detailed critique of the relevant portions of Hoffmann's study, and I refer the reader to Part II of this dissertation. I would only repeat here that, although I disagree with certain aspects of Hoffmann's treatment of these verses, this article remains a brilliant and provocative scholarly tour de force: "Buddha's Preaching of the Kalacakra Tantra at the Stipa of Dhanyakataka" (Hoffmann 1973) is another valuable 16 Hoffmann numbers these verses "151-153." None of the manuscripts or printed editions support this. Some manuscripts and the earlier printed editions number these as 192-184, but I follow the numbering in Upadhyaya's edition.167 contribution to Kalacakra studies. In this article Hoffmann edits and translates the Sanskrit and Tibetan texts of six verses quoted from the Paramadibuddha (the Kalacakra milatantra) that appear in the ParamGrthasanaraha of N@ro. The subject of these verses is the Buddha's first teaching of the Kalacakra, and the Vajrayana in general, at Drdnyakataka, Hoffmann begins the article by noting the provenance and importance of these verses. He says they are difficult to edit because we have only one manuscript, and because they are “not only written in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit but in a very corrupt barbarian Sanskrit of a semi-Indian region in the far north-west" (Hoffmann 1979:196). As I have argued elsewhere (Newnan 1988), the early Kalacakra literature, including these verses, is not written in “Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit" in any meaningful sense of the term, nor in “yery corrupt barbarian Sanskrit," whatever that is. Also, Hoffmann has presented no cogent evidence to support his assertion that this text originated in “a semi-Indian region in the far north-west." There is certainly no justification for Hoffman's practice of creating “Middle Indic" metri causa out of a correct Sanskrit form appearing in the MS (Hoffmann 1973:197 [n. 71); the verses of the Paranadibuddha often do not make metre.188 Hoffmann's edition and translation of the verses is good, but the following changes may be suggested: (1) Tib. Sa read bem min instead of bems min; and translate as "not material" instead of Hoffmann's "not motionless." (2) Tib. 6b read dgos pa'o instead of dges pa‘o; and translate as "for the merit and gnosis of men" instead of Hoffmann's “for the nen, the object of sacred knowledge." Hoffmann notes that verse 6 refers to the word EVAM, which symbolizes the union of wisdom and method in Vajrayana thought, and that the verses as a whole present an “official version" of the Buddha's teaching of the Vajrayana. He equates this with the third turning of the Wheel of Dharma (dharmacakrapravartana), but this is incorrect. The third turning consists of the Buddha's teaching of the Vijfianavada doctrines (especially as they are presented in the Sagdhinirmocana-sitra), but it is not correlated with the Vajrayana. The verses in fact relate the circumstances of the Buddha's enunciation of the two systems (naya; tshul) of the Mahayana: the perfection system (paramitanaya; pha rol tu phyin pa'i tshul), i.e., the Mahayana path taught in the sutras; and the mantra system (mantranaya; gsang sngags kyi tshul), i.e., the Mahayana path taught in the tantras, also called the Vajrayana. Hoffmann also believes that the Vajrayana169 represents a third vehicle distinct from the Mahayana; as pointed out in Chapter 3 of this introduction, this view is not supported by traditional sources. The rest of "Buddha's Preaching" is devoted to a discussion of the location of the Dhanyakataka stupa. As Hoffmann rightly notes: There cannot be the slightest doubt that according to our first Sloka the preaching of the Kalacakra and the Mantrayana in general took place at Pfanayakataka near the delta of the Kistna in findhra. No special consideration concerning the jocation of that spot, namely the famous big Stipa of Amaravati near the actual Dharanikota in the Guntur district seems to be justified (Hoffmann 1973:138- 139). Yet Klaus Hahlweg (Hahlweg 1965) and André Bareau (Bareau 1967) wrote articles on Dhanyakataka in which they locate the stupa in the delta of the Ganga, contrary to Hoffmann's statement in Die Religionen Tibets (Hoffmann 1956:119, 164), and also contradicting the determinations of other previous scholars (cf. Macdonald 197! 70 (n. 1]). As Hoffmann says, the theory of Hahlweg and Bareau is unfounded: there is no reason to doubt that the Indian Kalacakra sources refer to the stupa in Andhra. Hoffmann concludes "Buddha's Preaching" by noting that the region around Dhanyakataka was the home of “progressive schools" during the period of the early development of Mahayana Buddhism, and "therefore it is understandable that also the latest Buddhist system in170 India, the KSlacakra, was believed to have criginated at that holy place" (Hoffmann 1973:140). A postscript says: “(The problem of Buddha's preaching of the Kalacakra Tantra will be resumed later by me and published as no. 2 of my 'K@lacakra Studies,' including copious additional Sanskrit and Tibetan material)" (Hoffmann 1973: 40). This eseay has not appeared. In Tibet; A Handbook, Hoffmann devotes five pages to the Kalacakra (Hoffmann 1975:142-146). Excepting a few details, all of the information presented there is derived from his earlier publications, especially Die Religionen Tibets. A few points worth noting: Hoffmann says Abhayakaragupta composed the Kalacakravatara about 1027 A.D. (Hoffmann 1975:142). This is virtually impossible. AbhaySkaragupta flourished at the end of the 11th century, as demonstrated in Chapter 6 of this introduction. This error may explain in part Hoffmann's belief that the KAlacakra was introduced around 967 A.D., because the Kalacals tra uses an astronomical period thac is sixty years in excess of that given at Sri Kalacakra 1.272. In fact this only proves that the Kalacakravatara itself was composed about sixty years after the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha, i.e., sometime in the latter half of the lth century. Hoffmann says that the Kalacakra belongs to the class of "Mother Tantras." This is actuallya7 problematic: Tsong kha pa and most of his foliowers assert this, but they seem to be in the minority, most Tibetan scholars saying that the Kalecakra belongs to a third “nondual" (advaya; gnyis med) class among the anuttarayoga tantras, as previously noted by Hoffmann (1967b:22). Finally, Hoffmann asserts that Samantagri was a disciple of Naro: all of the sources I have examined contradict this, and say Samantaéri's main Kalacakra teacher was Mafjukirti, At the end of his treatment of the Kalacakra in Tibet: A Handbook Hoffmann gives a useful bibliography of materials on the Kalacakra. To my knowledge, Hoffmann's most recent publication related to the Kalacakra is a short prospectus of work in progress published in Buddhist Text Informatio: acakra Tantra: a comprehensive study initiated as 'Kdlacakra Studies‘ and planned to culminate as ‘Shambhala and the Buddhist Apocalypse,' leading to a definitive edition of the Kalacakra Tantra" (Hoffmann 1977a:12). The prospectus continues with a list of three Tibetan works to be included in the project. The results of this study have not appeared. I have devoted so much space to Hoffmann's publications on the Kadlacakra because they are all required reading for serious students of the subject. My disagreement with some of his interpretations and theories172 does not diminish my debt to his generally excellent work on the history and doctrine of the K@lacakra tradition. However, two criticisms cannot be avoided. First, Hoffmann's fixation on supposed Manichaean influence on the K&lacakra is unwarranted, and it seems to have distracted him from the more obvious Indian nature of the tantra, Second, Hoffmann's promises of comprehensive treatments of so many important aspects of the Kalacakra may have discouraged other scholars from studying the system. We can only hope that the studies he has announced over the last thirty years will eventually appear. Biswanath Banerjee (Biswanath Bandyopadhyaya, Biswanath Banerjee's first contribution to the study of the Kalacakra is his "A Note on the Kalacakratantra and its Commentary" (Bandyopadhyaya 1952). This article begins with general conments on the Kélacakra taken from the works of previous scholars. Next comes a description of the Cambridge University palm leaf manuscript of the eT Kalacakra (following Cecil Bendall's catalogue of the Cambridge collection), including the copyist's colophon, a list of the chapters, and a transcription and brief discussion of the first two verses.173 Banerjee continues with a description of the two manuscripts of the Vimalaprabha held at the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. This information is taken from Hara Prasad shastri's catalogue of the Asiatic Society collection. Banerjee also notes that the Sri acakra and the Vimalaprabhd appear to be mentioned in a list of texts contained in the Pagan inscription of 1442, and quotes W.R. Ray's discussion of this fact. The main body of Banerjee's “Note” discusses various points raised in the introduction to the Vimalaprabha. Banerjee rightly notes: "The commentary shows that the commentator was a well-read scholar and was quite conversant with the views of different Brahmanic and Buddhistic schools. He quotes from numerous known and unknown texts" (Bandyopadhyaya 1952:73). Banerjee also notes Pupgarika's description of the Sanskrit used in the Kalacakra literature, and the Vimalaprabha's discussion of neat-eating. He then gives a paraphrase of the story of vagas's conversion of the brahman sages of Sanbhala, to be found in Vimalaprabhg 1.9 (see Chapter @ of the translation below). This "Note" ends with a transcription and explanation of Vimalaprabha I.1-2, 98, centering on the meaning of the term kalacakra Banerjee's "A Note on the Kalacakryana of Tantric Buddhism" (Banerjee 1958) is a series of paraphrases of174 previous scholars' comments on the Vajrayana in general and the Kalacakra in particular. It perpetuates such modern inventions as a "Kalacakrayana," Asafiga's role in the origin of the Vajrayana, and other misconceptions. Banerjee's doctoral dissertation, ber das Lokadhdtu Patala Kapitel di Laghu~Ka lacakr: ntra raja (Banerjee 1959), was written under the guidance of Helmut Hoffmann at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munchen. This work was not published, and my access to it is limited to a film which is missing the introduction, footnotes, and a number of pages (see the Bibliography) .17 The portion on the film is the main body of the dissertation (222 pages), which consists of an edition of the Sanskrit and an annotated translation of the lokadhatuvinyasa-patala of the Sri Kalacakra. Banerjee's edition is based on three manuscripts: one each from Cambridge, London, and Patna. ‘The edition is basically sound, but there are instances where the correct r ading is to be found in the Tibetan translation and/or the Vimalaprabhd. Banerjee recognizes the importance of these sources for establishing and interpreting the text, but 17 iso, my_comments below are limited to Banerjee's treatment of Sri_Kalacakra I.1-27, 128-170, i.e., the portions of the text I have translated in Part II of this dissertation. I have not carefully examined his treatment K@lacakra I.2¢-127.175 his use of them is not entirely systematic, nor is it always felicitous. However, these minor lapses do not detract from Banerjee's pioneering and generally successful effort to establish and understand this chapter of the Sri kalacakra. (For similar remarks see Schuh 1973:11, 24.) Although my translation is based on the interpretations of the Vimalaprabh’, the Tibetan translation, and Indian and Tibetan secondary sources, T also benefited fron studying Banerjee's translation of the verses we treat in common. It should also be noted that Banerjee's dissertation contains the only complete rendering of ri Kalacakra I.28-127 in a modern language. Banerjee has recently published A Critical Edition of éri_Kalacakratantra-raja_ (Collated with the Tibetan version) (Banerjee 1985). This consists of an introduction and a new edition of the Sri Kalacakra In the introduction Banerjee describes the five manuscripts his edition is based on: one each from the Cambridge University Library, the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland (London), and Visva~Bharati (West Bengal), and two from the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute (patna). He also mentions the editio princeps published by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra. Banerjee next considers the relation of the $ri_Kalacakra (the Kalacakra laghutantra) to the Kalacakra milatantra. He says: "The176 Milatantre of our text appears unfortunately to be lost for ever inasmuch as we do not possess anything of the Milatantra either in the Chinese or in the Tibetan canon" (Banerjee 1985:iv). This is incorrect: the Sekoddega, preserved in the Kanjur, is a section of the Kalacakra niilatantra. The next pages of the introduction (iv-x) discuss the teaching of the Kalacakra at Dhanyakataka and its transmission in Sambhala based on information given in the Paranarthasamgraha and the Vimalaprabhd. Banerjee then considers the date and circumstances of the introduction of the Kalacakra in India (Banerjee 198:x- xi). This appears to be a close paraphrase of Hoffmann's writings on the subject, although there is no indication of this in Banerjee's text. Banerjee continues by noting the difficulty of the Kalacakra system, its syncretic nature, its central theme - the integration of wisdom and method, the subject matter of the five chapters, the identity of macrocosm and microcosm, the idea of mahsukha, and the sidereal allegory used to express the K@lacakra yoga. Much of this information is derived from the first chapter of the Vimalaprabh3. ‘The next section of the introduction (pp. xvii-xx) is a synopsis of Vimalaprabhd 1.2, which is an analysis of the contents of the Sri _KSlacakra. Banerjee concludes the introduction with a note on the machines described at Sri Kalacakra377 I,128-148, a mention of the grammatical peculiarities of the text, and a reference to a "Study" of the Kalacakra system he has planned (cf, also p. x). Turning to Banerjee's edition of the Sanskrit text of the Sri Kalacakra, we would first note his comment on the editio princens of Vira and Chandra: s..the text has not been checked up with the Tibetan translation and appears to be full of corrupt and unintelligible readings. The present edition has consulted the printed edition (D) [of Vira and Chandra] also and has tried to settle the readings with the help of the Tibetan translation as far as practicable (Banerjee 1985:1i). A similar assessment of the Vira-Chandra edition had previously been made by Hoffmann: The edition of Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra (RL) is far from being critical and does not, notwithstanding it gives besides the Sanskrit text’ the Tibetan and Mongolian translations, try at all to make use of this important Tibetan version (the Mongolian depends only on the Tibetan) for textual criticism (Hoffmann 1969:54). Unfortunately, a comparison of the Vira-Chandra edition with Banerjee's edition raises a number of questions about how far the word “critical” in the title of Banerjee's work is justified. For example, at Sri acakra I.1b Vira~Chandra report in their apparatus that the Cambridge manuscript reads pranamyag; although Banerjee used the same manuscript, and consulted Vira~ Chandra, he reports no variants. The same phenomenon occurs at $ri Kalacakra I.7a, 8c, 10c, 16b, 22a, 37b, etc.178 Also, Banerjee's reporting of his differences from Vira- Chandra is not entirely systematic, and he does not report the variant readings of Vira-Chandra's manuscript "Ne" at all. A relatively minor but nonetheless troubling point is Banerjee's spelling of the word sambhala. At Sri Kalacakra I.26a and elsewhere he spells it gambhala (no variants cited), but the Vira-Chandra edition, Upadhyaya's edition, and all of the manuscripts I have examined are unanimous that the correct spelling is sambhala. Banerjee seems to have tacitly “corrected" the spelling in accordance with the Tibetan transliteration, A more serious matter is found on p. 23 of his edition. Banerjee says: "The Patna Ms. reads a verse after this as verse 90 which does not occur either in the other Mss. or in the Tibetan translation" (Banerjee 198! 3). This is a cogent observation, but Banerjee does not reproduce the verse either in the text or in the critical apparatus. This is totally unacceptable in a critical edition. Banerjee's principle in using the Tibetan translation is unclear to me. The subtitle of the work indicates the Sanskrit text is “collated” with the Tibetan version. However, the apparatus to the edition only contains certain snippets of the Tibetan translation - sometimes nothing, sometimes words, sometimes grammatically incomplete phrases, sometimes entire padas - and we are179 rarely given any indication of the relevance of 2 particular fragment of the Tibetan to the editing of the sanskrit. A problem with Banerjee's edition that is not his fault is the manner in which it is printed. The r before consonants is often illegible, and it is sometimes and au. There is no list difficult to distinguish i, 9 of corrigenda. qhe exact value of Banerjee's edition of the Sri Kalacakra can only be determined by using it. I only recently obtained a copy of this work, and the above comments are the results of a precursory examination. It appears to offer some definite improvements on the text produced by Vira and Chandra. However, a critical edition should at least eliminate the need to consult the manuscripts it is based on (not to mention previous printed editions), and it is uncertain that Banerjee has accomplished this basic goal. Winfried Petri Winfriea Petri's publications on the Kalacakra primarily focus on the technical astronomy presented in the first chapter of the Sri Kalacakra. His first publication on the subject is a brief communication entitled "Astronomisches im indo-tibetischen Kalacakra"180 (Petri 1960). It mentions the name, source, and origin of the Kalacakra, and says that the astronomical components of the system originated at different times. Petri notes that the KSlacakra contains the Julian year of 965.25 days, and a value for the precession of 54" per annum. Petri's major work on the Kalacakra astronomy is his Habilitationsschrift, Indo-tibetische Astronomie (Petri 1966a), written under the guidance of Helmut Hoffmann. Petri announced the imminent publication of this work several times (Petri 1966c:90 [n.4]; 1968:97 [n. 3]; 1971:324 [m. 7]), but it has not appeared. The Habilitationsschrift is divided into 10 chapters: (1) the history of Indian astronomy, (2) texts on astronomy in the Kalacakra, (3) numbers and calculations, (4) system of measurement: (8) cosmography, (6) the ecliptic, (7) the course of the moon and time reckoning, (8) the planets, (9) the pseudo-planets, and (10) sunnary and prospectus. Petri utilizes the Sri Kalacakra, the Kalacakravatira, and other works dealing with the Kalacakra astronomy. He translates and studies about thirty verses fron the Sri Kalacakra, most of them from the section on astronomy. TI obtained a copy of Petri's Habilitationsschrift only recently, and have not yet studied it thoroughly, but it is obviously a valuable contribution to the study of the181 Kalacakra astronomy. (For remarks on this work see Schuh 1973:11, 24). Petri's "Ob astronomicheskom soderzhanii pervoi knigi Kalachakra-tantra (Sanskritskii i Tibetskii teksty)" (Petri 1966b) appears to give a summary of Petri's Habilitationsschrift. Petri's brief article "Tibetan Astronomy" (Petri 1967) surveys the results of his research on the Kalacakra astronomy, with an emphasis on various problems for further study. Petri notes: The Indian character of Tibetan astronomy being established, we ask next about the relations between this ‘Buddhist! [Kalacakra] astronomy and the classical Siddhantas. The answer is handicapped by the inhomogeneous contents of the Kalacakra texts, where different levels of knowledge have been mixed up. But if we neglect some apparently late additions, the assumption of pre-siddhantic origin seems more probable than not (Petri 1967:161). In the summary at the head of this article Petri writes: It may be that a close study of the Tibetan texts will enable us to elucidate the pre-siddhantic epoch of Indian astronomy; but the apparently crude Character of the [Kalacakra] calculations might also be due to a secondary simplification for practical use (Petri 1967:159). The latter theory is undoubtedly closer to the truth: (1) the siddhantas date from the Sth century whereas the KSlacakra first appears in the 11th; (2) the era in the Kalacakra laghukarana is based on the Hijra, and the Sr) KZlacakra and the Yimalaprabha both contain a year that182 corresponds to a date near the beginning of the 11th century (cf. Newman 1967:100 [n. 24]); (3) the Vimalaprabhd refers extensively to the siddhantas, and implies that the Kalacakra astronomy is intended to make astronomy accessible to those who are put off by the complexities of the siddh’ tas (cf, Vimalaprabha 1,9.26);18 (4) finally, and most importantly, Vimalaprabha 1.9.86 explicitly states that the astronomy in the Sri KSlacakra is a mere summary intended for service in an internal yogic "sidereal allegory," and that Buddhists wishing to understand the external movements of the celestial bodies should consult the siddhantas Petri's latest contribution to the study of the K@lacakra is his "Indische Astonomie - Ihre Problematik 18 In his Habilitationsschrift Petri says: “Beigefigte E£rlduterungen beruhen vielfach auf dem Kommentar Vimalaprabha. Fur die vorliegende Untersuchung warde von der Benutzung desselben abgesehen, da er einen Spateren Stand reprasentiert. Erst nachdem es gelungen fst, den urspringlichen Sinn des Textes von innen heraus, ohne Sekundarinterpretationen, zu klaren, kann die Heranziehung der Vimalaprabha von Nutzen sein" (Petri 1966a:10). T consider this to be a serious methodological error, and would invert the procedure followed by Petri. It jis very unlikely that the Yimalaprabhé is later than the Sri Kalacakra, but in any case it cannot simply be dismissed as "a later position" or "a secondary interpretation.” In my opinion one should determine the meaning of the Sri Xlacakra based on the interpretations of the Vimalaprabha and the other commentaries, carefully noting, or course, any places where they differ from a literal reading of the basic text.183 und Ausstrahlung" (Petri 1971). The first half of this article surveys western study of Indian astronomy, and briefly examines various historical and technical problens in the field. The second half gives a general description of the Kalacakra cosmology and time reckoning, and notes parallels between the Kalacakra ideas and other Indian and non-Indian theories. Among the subjects touched on are: cosmogony, cosmography, the theory of planetary and stellar motion, the obliquity of the ecliptic, time reckoning as relative to the different classes of beings, the four world-ages, precession, and the pseudoplanets R&hu and Ketu. These subjects are all dealt with at greater length in Petri's Habilitationsschrift, but he treats them from a somewhat different perspective in the present article. Petri's research on the Kalacakra astronomy represents the major portion of western knowledge of the subject. One hopes that his Habilitationsschrift will eventually be published because it would serve as a valuable aid to scholars undertaking a systematic edition and translation of the astronomical sections of the Sri Klacakra and the Vimalaprabha.184 Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra Beginning in 1965 Lokesh Chandra published The collected Works of Bu-ston (Chandra 1965). This is @ faceimile edition of Bu ston's gsung ‘bum; the first five volumes contain his works on the Kalacakra. Chandra has written a helpful survey of the contents of these volumes (vira 1966:11-12), and students of the Kalacakra are indebted to him for making this important resource easily accessible. In 1966 Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra's editio princeps of the Sanskrit text of the Sri kalacakra appeared in a volume entitled kalacakra-tantra and Other Texts (Vira 1966). Lokesh Chandra's preface to the edition reproduces excerpts dealing with the Kalacakra fron Tucci's Tibetan Painted Scrolls and Hoffman's The Religions of Tibet. It also contains a list of works on the K@lacakra appearing in the Tohoku catalogue of the se dge canon, and a useful survey of the Kalacakra writings of Bu ston, Tsong kha pa, mKhas grub, royal tshab, and later Gelugpa scholars. The preface concludes with a description of the manuscripts used in the edition. These are: (1) Cambridge University Library Add. 1964; palmleaf: Bengali script; dated Vikramaditya 1503 (=1446 ALD.); (2) Bir Library: devandgarl. chandra reproduces the colophon185 of the Cambridge manuscript, but the Bir Library manuscript lacks a detailed colophon. The edition is essentially a collation of the two manuscripts. Variant readings are listed in the critical apparatus, but no discernable attempt has been made to establish the text with the help of the Tibetan translation or the commentaries. (For further remarks on Vira and Chandra's edition of the Sanskrit see the observations on Banerjee's edition above.) Besides the Sanskrit text, Kalacakra-tantra_and Other Texts contains unedited reproductions of the Peking edition of’ the Tibetan translation, and the Mongolian translation of the Tibetan translation. In 1971 Chandra published a facsimile edition of an excellent palmieaf manuscript of the Sri_Kalacakra in a volume entitled Sanskrit Manuscripts from Tibet (Chandra 1971). ‘There is no preface describing the manuscripts contained in the volume. The manuscript of the Sri Kdlacakra is complete in 120 folios, is well written in Bengali script, and is dated Saka 1196 (=1263-1264 A.D.) (p. 2839/3; £. 120a/3), It is also noteworthy that the colophon equates this y2ar with the 1s08th year after the Buddha's parinirvay bhagavati parinirvrte ‘ stabdddhikast@daSadate...1ikhitam (p. 2939/2; f. 120/2). This is one of a number of instances in which the later186 Sinhalese calculation of the parinirvapa (544 B.C.) is used for chronological purposes in late Indian and Tibetan sources. The title page to Sanskrit Manuscripts from Tibet indicates that the manuscript was found in the sNar thang monastery in Tibet. R&@hula Sahkrtyayana had previously photographed this manuscript during one of his expeditions to Tibet; while in Patna in 1985 I noticed that a film of the manuscript is kept in the Sahkrtyayana collection at the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute. It is curious that Banerjee did not utilize this valuable manuscript in his recent edition of the Sri Kalacakra. He describes two manuscripts from the K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute collection (Banerjee 1985:11), but neither of them corresponds to this one. Gunter Grénbold Gunter Grénbold's doctoral dissertation, AD-ANGA Yoca: RaviérTjfiana's Gunabharan_nama_Sadafigayogatippani mit Text, Ubersetzung und literarhistorischen Kommentar (Grénbold 1969), was written at the Ludwigs-Maximilians~ Universitat in Minchen under the guidance of Helnut Hoffmann, As its title indicates, the first part of the dissertation consists of an edition and translation of the Sanskrit text of the Gunabharai » Ravisrijfana's commentary on the Sagaigayoga of Anupamarakgita. The187 edition is based on the unique manuscript preserved in the Royal Asiatic Society, London Hodgson Collection (no. 68); this has been emended in light of the Tibetan translation. The German translation is literal and faithful to the original. The second part of Grénbold's dissertation examines the historical background of the sadafigayoga. This includes a brief discussion of the Kalacakra tantra, a detailed study of the main guru lineage of the Kalacakra |ahgayoga precepts, an examination of the Guhyasamaja gadahgayoga tradition, and a discussion of Hindu sources for the study of the gadgafigayoua. The appendix contains extracts (with translations) from the texts discussed in the preceding portion of the dissertation. Following the appendix is a useful list of important terms from the Gunabharand, and a bibliography. Grénbold has recently published a series of articles dealing with the sagaigayoga. "Der sechsgliedrige Yoga des Kalacakr tantra" (Grénbold 1983a) begins with a discussion of the general background of the sagahaayoga doctrine and the history of the Kalacakra system. The main body of the article consists of an edition, translation, and detailed discussion of ri Kalacakra IV.116-117, one of the primary sources for the Kalacakra gadahgayoca teachings, This provides a good overview of188 the subject matter treated in Grénbold's dissertation. The article has two appendices: The first gives the text of the commentary on $ri Kalacakra IV.216-117 found in the Vimalaprabhd and Naro's Paranarthasamgraha, which are identical here. ‘The second appendix is a list of citations found in the GupabharanT. Grénbold's “Materialien zur Geschichte des Sadaiiga~ yoga I. Der Sadaiga-yoga im Hinduismus" (Grénbold 1983b) examines Hindu texts containing lists of yogas that may be related to the Buddhist sagafigavoga. “Materialien zur Geschichte des gagafiga-yoga II. Die Offenbarung des $adahga-yoga im Kalacakra-system" (Grénbold 1984) reproduces and translates the Indian and Tibetan sources for the story of Anupamaraksita. "Materialien zur Geschichte des §agaiga-yoga III. Die Guru-Reihen im buddhistischen gadafiga-yoga" (Grénbold 1982) studies the Indo-Tibetan guru lineages of the sadaigayoga. “Materialien zur Geschichte des $adaiga-yoga Iv. Tibetische Literatur zum $agaiiga-yoga" (Grénbold 1983c) surveys the voluminous literature in Tibetan (both canonical and indigenous) dealing with the sadaigayoga These four articles reproduce much of the content of Grénbold's doctoral dissertation, but they also provide the results of his subsequent research on the gadaigayoaa.189 Grénbold's publications meet a high standard of scholarship. The gadafgayoga is an extremely difficult subject - it represents the pinnacle of Vajrayana esotericism. Grénbold's sober, meticulous approach to his material has produced results that provide a solid foundation for future study of the Kalacakra utpannakrama; his works are essential reading for students of the Kalacakra. Dieter Schuh Dieter Schuh's Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der tibetischen Kalenderrechnung (Schuh 1973) is a scientific description of Tibetan calendrics. Because the Tibetan calendar systems are to a great extent derived from the Ka@lacakra, Schuh necessarily deals with the relevant portions of the first chapter of the Sri x@lacakra and other related texts. I only recently obtained a copy of this work, and have not yet studied it thoroughly. However, it appears to offer improvements on Banerjee and Petri's interpretations of the calendrical portions of the first chapter of the Sri_k@lacakr: Schuh's work is especially valuable for its examination of the utilization of the Kalacakra calendar in Tibet.190 Edward Todd Fenner Edward Todd Fenner's doctoral dissertation, Rasayana Siddhi: Medicine and Alchemy in the Buddhist Tantras (Fenner 1979), is the only study to date of this interesting aspect of the Kalacakra tantra. Part I of the thesis is divided into five chapters: Chapter i examines current views of Buddhist alchemy, primarily those of Shashi Bhusan Dasgupta and Mircea Eliade, which are mostly derived from the explanations contained in Praphulla Chandra Ray's History of Hindu Chemistry. chapter 2 is a brief survey of non-Indian alchemical traditions: Greek, Islamic, Medieval European, and Chinese. Chapter 3 discusses the various practices that go under the name rasdyana. Chapter 4 discusses the history of Indian alchemy with concentration on the history of the KSlacakra. Here Fenner refers to Roerich's translation of the Deb ther sngon po (Roerich 1949), Csoma de Kérés (1833), and Hoffmann (1969), He concludes that “it seems hard to deny that [the Kalacakra] was composed sometime in the two to three hundred year period between the establishment of Baghdad as the capital of the Abbasids and the time of Naropa" (Fenner 1979:94). Based on the fact that Kalacakra rasayana includes the use of mercury, he thinks "The KAlacakra seems to have been written in an area under Chinese influence” (Fenner 1979:97). Chapter 5a9 discusses the possible dangers of ingesting the elixirs described in the tantras. Part II of the thesis is again divided into five chapters: Chapter 1 is introductory. In it Fenner explains why he translated the texts he did, a description of the texts, and problems of translation. On p. 111 he give a useful list of passages related to rasayana in the Buddhist tantras. For the translations he used "Bu ston's edition of the Vimalaprabhd, coordinated with the Peking edition of the root text, the KAlacakratantra... The Sanskrit edition of the root text put out by Lokesh Chandra was constantly referred to, especially in the case of botanical terms, but the Peking edition of the Tibetan Tripitika was generally used as the basis for the translation into English. The reason for this is that the Tibetan translation of the root text coordinated more easily with the commentary which is currently unavailable in Sanskrit" (Fenner 1979:116-117). Fenner notes that “What is presented here as chapter two, verses 107-128 (Bu ston's numeration), is in the Sanskrit edition verses 107- 194. Verses 116-121 of the Sanskrit edition are not included in the Tibetan texts" (Fenner 1979:117).19 19 Banerjee notes: "The following six verses (116- 121) are not found in the Patna Mss. of the text. The Tibetan versions of Derge, Narthang, and the Peking (Japanese) edition also do not include these verses" (Sri192 Fenner also notes that some of the verses in the fifth chapter of the tantra are not commented on in the Vimalaprabhd, and he has not attempted to translate them due to their obscurity. He observes that the texts are difficult to translate, even with the commentary, and that “this text is meant for someone who already has practical instruction in the subject. It is a reference book, not a textbook" (Fenner 1979:118). Chapter 2 is a translation of $ri_Kalacakra II.107-128 (Fenner's numbering) together with the VYimalaprabha's comments and Bu ston's annotations. chapter 3 is a translation of §ri_ K@lacakra v.201-230 with the VYimelaprabhd's comments and Bu ston's annotations. Chapter 4 is a transliteration of the Tibetan text used as the basis of the translation given in Chapter 2. Chapter § is a transliteration of the Tibetan text used as the basis of the translation given in Chapter 3. Following Chapter 5 is a Glossary of Botanical and Mineral Terms, the notes, and a select bibliography. Fenner's work is a useful contribution to the study of one of the many difficult scientific subjects treated in the Kalacakra, and it is adds to our knowledge of Indian alchemy in general. Kalacakra (S) p. 72).193 Edwin Marshall Bernbaum Eawin Marshall Bernbaum has written extensively on the ayth of Sambhala. His book, The Way to Shambhala (Bernbaum 1980)20 is written "for a general audience with no particular background in Tibet or Tibetan mythology and religion... At the same time, it contains material that has not been published elsewhere and should be of interest to specialists in a number of fields" (Bernbaum 1980:x1i1). “The book...progresses from a description of the myth to an interpretation of its inner meaning. The first four chapters deal with Shambhala in general, its possible existence, and its relation to other myths. Chapter 5 provides background on the nature of Tibetan Buddhism and the mystical teaching kept in the hidden kingdom. chapter 6 begins the actual interpretation by looking at what Shambhala symbolizes in the mind. Chapters 7 and @ present stories of the journey to Shambhala and translations of guidebooks describing the way to the kingdom. Chapter 9 interprets the guidebooks as allegories for a journey into the hidden depths of the mind. Chapter 10 looks at the prophecy of Shambhala in some detail and goes on to examine its symbolism. Chapter 20 Reviewed by Lattimore (1982) and Thurman (1982).194 11 relates the myth to everyday life and brings the book to its conclusion" (Bernbaum 1980:iv). ‘The Way to Shambhala contains a wealth of information on the myth of Sambhala as it is understood by the Tibetans. The great strength of the book is that it faithfully reproduces the views of the numerous contemporary lamas Bernbaum interviewed on the subject. However, Bernbaum's own interpretations of the myth are extremely problematic. As he notes: "Most Tibetans who are familiar with the [guidebooks] take them as literal descriptions of an outer journey to Shambhala. They do not usually speak of them as instructions for an inner journey into the mind" (Bernbaum 1980:228). Although some lamas Bernbaum interviewed thought that the guidebooks could be read as allegories for a spiritual path, none of them offered interpretations that convincingly correlate the journey described in the guidebooks to the yogic path explained in the Kalacakra, In any case, Bernbaum's analysis of the journey to Sambhala in terms of three levels of consciousness - surface consciousness, subconscious, and superconscious - seems to owe more to Freudian psychoanalysis than to Buddhism. He applies his model with great vigor and ingenuity, but the “inner meanings" he discerns do not bear any resemblance to the path system taught in the Kalacakra tantra. This198 criticism aside, The Way to Shambhala is a noteworthy contribution to the study of the mythology of the K@lacakra: it recapitulates all of the previous western study of the subject, presents a large amount of new information, and articulates thought-provoking, innovative interpretations in a very readable style. Bernbaum's doctoral dissertation is entitled the Mythic Journey and Its Symbolism: A Study of the Development of Buddhist Guidebooks to Sambhala in Relation to Their Antecedents in Hinéu Mythology (Bernbaum 1986). As its title indicates it is a study of the guidebooks (Tib. lam yig) to Sambhala.?! The thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 is introductory, and is subdivided into two sections, one surveying previous western studies of the myth of Sambhala, and the other presenting Bernbaum's own approach and methodology. The first section is a very useful and interesting overview of western contact with the myth of Sambhala. Regarding his approach and methodology, Bernbaum says, "This dissertation will approach the development of the mythic journey to Sambhala in two stages, employing two kinds of methodology. The first stage will use standard 21 Bernbaum adopts the Tibetan spelling of this name, i.e., sham bha la. For the sake of consistency T will stay with the spelling attested in the Sanskrit MSS, sambhala.196 philological and comparative methods to analyze the basic themes of the overall myth, trace the course of their development in Tibet, and examine their appropriation of features from antecedents in Hindu mythology... The second stage of the dissertation will draw on the relationship between myth and metaphor to uncover and elucidate the process underlying the historical development traced in the first part. It will show, in particular, how juxtaposition with various conceptions of shana and mGrga, ritual practice and the path to enlightenment, has shaped the overall structure of the mythic journey to Sambhala and governed the process of syncretism involved in its appropriation of features from antecedents in Hindu mythology. The second stage. ..will use this relation of myth to metaphor to formulate the concept of metaphoric juxtaposition as the key to elucidating the development of the mythic journey to Sambhala" (Bernbaum 198 1, 14). Chapter 2 is entitled “Texts and Translations" and has two sections: a survey of the literature on Sambhala, and a discussion of the guidebooks to Sambhala. The first section gives a brief but comprehensive survey of the Indian and Tibeten Buddhist texts related to the myth of Sambhala, excluding the guidebooks. The second section concentrates on the guidebooks. The first of these197 treated is the Shanbha la pa'i lam yig of the 19th century Tibetan lama and traveller Man lungs pa (alias Man lungs curu).22 Bernbaum notes: "I found a copy of the text in Zanskar, without author or date mentioned in its colophon. Berthold Laufer translated a section of it in 1907, also from an anonymous, undated manuscript. By its description of Peking in another section, he concluded that it dated to the thirteenth century. In the text obtained in Zanskar, I found additional passages quoted by Blo bzang dpal 1dan ye shes in his guidebook to Sambhala. There he identified the author of those passages as Man lung pa, author of a guidebook to Sambhala which he, the Panchen Lama, had rejected as not being authoritative. The Blue annals identifies Wan lung pa as a thirteenth century lana with a deep interest in the Kalacakra, thereby completing the identification of the Zanskar text as his and positively dating it to the thirteenth century" (Bernbaun 1986:37-38), Bernbaun's MS is divided into five chapters, and he gives a translation of two extracts from the fourth chapter, the one dealing with Sambhala, which had previously been translated by Laufer. He also gives translations of some passages from texts by Bu ston, mKhas 22 Bernbaum adopts the form man lung pa for this name; I follow the spelling recorded by Roerich (1949:1217).198 grub, and ‘Gos gZhon nu dpal relating the journeys of Indian pandits to Sambhala, which had previously been translated by Roerich and myself. the main body of Chapter 2 is a study of the Kaldpavatara, a guidebook to Sambhala preserved in the Tanjur. Bernbaum examines the relationship between this text and the Shambha la'i Jam yig of the Panchen lama blo bzang dpal idan ye shes, which was previously translated by Albert Grinwedel. He points out that for the journey to Sambhala the Panchen lama for the most part simply yestates the contents of the Kalapavatara, with occasional elaboration. Bernbaun then gives a complete translation of the Kal@pavatara based on the Peking and Derge editions of the text, annotating it with comments showing where blo bzang dpal idan ye shes has made significant alterations in the process of creating his own lam yig. Bernbaum notes that the Kalapavatara is divided into prose and verse sections, and believes the prose is older than the verses. We will return to this below. chapter 3 analyses the myth of Sambhala in terms of the ideas of messianic history and prophecy, Sambhala as an earthly paradise, the mythic journey, and structural parallels of space and time. In this chapter Bernbaum considers the problem of the relation of the Kalapavatara to the Kalacakra tradition. Beginning here he takes it as199 given that the verse portions of the text are “later additions" (Bernbaum 198) 15, et seq), and says “The Kalapavatara is the only source that contains no clear reference to the Kalacakra in Sambhala" (Bernbaum 1986:116). On pp. 128-133 he surveys the evidence for deciding the relative antiquity of the Kalapavat@ra and the Kilacakra literature. "Based on his belief that the Kalapavatara omits a number of key features in the K@lacakra presentation of Kalapa, Sambhala, and other mythological motifs, he says: “On the basis of this evidence, we can conclude that, although translated into Tibetan at a very late date, the Kalapavatara was probably composed quite early in India, before the appearance of the Kalacakra Tantra and possibly even before the founding of Islam in the seventh century, It seems very likely that the text influenced the primary texts of the Kalacakra Tantra, the Kalacakratantra and Vimalaprabha (Bernbaum 1986:193). We will return to this issue below. chapter 4 examines antecedents in Hindu mythology in terms of messianic history and prophecy, the earthly paradise, and the mythic journey. Bernbaum demonstrates that the Buddhist myth of the Kalkis of Sambhala is derived from the Hindu myth of Kalki of Sambhala, and points out some of the possible sources for the Buddhist myth in Hindu t ts, notably the Mahabharata and the200 Puranas. On pp. 182-194 he transiates Ramayana 4.42.10- 60, the journey to Uttarakuru, and shows a number of material elements it shares with the Kalapavat@ra. He concludes that “The [Buddhist] mythic journey to Sambhala represents a syncretic composition of various elements from Hindu mythology considerably transformed and elaborated in a new setting. With regard to its Hindu antecedents, it derives principally from two important journeys to the north - the journey to Uttarakuru from the REm@yana and the journey to Kailasa from various sources, including the actual pilgrimage to the mountain" (Bernbaun Chapter 5 discusses metaphoric juxtaposition in the development of the mythic journey to Sambhala. He applies the theory of metaphoric juxtaposition to the journeys to Uttarakuru described in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and to the journey to Sambhala described in the Buddhist guidebooks. Regarding the latter, Bernbaun thinks the Journey to Sambhala described in the Kalapavatira and the Shambha_ia'i lam yig is a metaphor for the sadhana (practices) employed on the mlrga (path) to Buddhahood. chapter 6, the conclusion, examines the theory of metaphoric juxtaposition in the overall development of the myth of Sambha. Bernbaum says, “...the unifying feature in the overall development of the myth of Sambhala is not201 a particular metaphor, such as that of the journey as mirga, but rather the general process of metaphoric juxtaposition through which the various themes have developed under the influence of different root metaphors" (Bernbaum 1986:280) . 1 would like to address two issues that Bernb: raises: (1) the literary history of the Kalapavatara, and (2) the nature of the journey to Sambhala described in this text. As noted above, Bernbaum first argues that the verse portions of the KalapavatSra are "later additions" “{nterpolated" into the prose portions of the text; henceforth he simply asserts this as a fact. I have read this text several times and see no reason to subscribe to this theory. Bernbaum says: "[The prose sections] stand on their own as a complete account, focused primarily on a description of the journey to Sambhala. The poetry sections, on the other hand, do not stand on their own: they supply the introduction to the journey and a commentary on it, suggesting they were composed later“ (Bernbaum 1986:81). The fact that the prose on its own provides a complete account of the journey to Kalapa whereas the verses do not is irrelevant: it is common practice in Sanskrit literature to lay out the frame of a narrative in prose and elaborate on various episodes or202 points in verse. Bernbaum says: “In addition, the prose sections contain relatively straightforward language that is easy to read, whereas the sections in verse are much nore cryptic and convoluted, written in a more ornamental style that would appear to be a later elaboration on the original text" (Bernbaum 1986:61). It is impossible to make any sound judgement about the style of a Sanskrit text based solely on its Tibetan translation, but even if we assume that the verses of the Sanskrit original were also much more cryptic, convoluted, and ornamental than the prose, this does nothing to prove they were interpolated into a prose original. Sanskrit authors love to parade their knowledge of kévya, and what better place to do this than in poetic elaborations on the frame of a narrative. In brief, it is impossible to stratify a Sanskrit text based solely on stylistic features in its Tibetan translation. Bernbaum has provided no convincing evidence to justify his stratification of the Kalapavatara Bernbaun says that there is no clear reference to the Kalacakra in the Kalapavat@ra, and that its author seems to be unaware of the Sri Kaiacakra and the Vimalaprabha (Bernbaun 1986:116, 129-131), This is incorrect. Among the list of texts to be found in Kalapa art203 /ages pa'i rdo rje chen po dang/ /rjes su rig pa rnal ‘byor rgyud/ /ede bshegs kun gyi ‘dus pa ni/ /stong phrag nyi shu rtsa Inga pa/ /aam pa dang po'i sangs rgyas rgyud/?? .the great Hevajra, the Yogdnuviddha-tantra, the twenty-five thousand line Samaja of all the Tathagatas, the Paramddibuddha-tantra..."?4 This derives from the belief within the Kalacakra tradition that the Vajrayana niilatantras are extant in Sambhala. The four texts listed are the mijlatantras of the Hevajra, Yam@ntaka, Guhyasama@ja, and Kalacakra systems, and they are referred to in Vimalaprabhd 1.4.1 and elsewhere in the Bodhisattva Corpus.?5 It is clear 23 Peking #5908; vol. 149, 160/4/4-5; Derge #4464, bsTan ‘oyur: sNa_tshogs PO f. 317a/4-5; sNar thang bsTan ‘qyur: _sGra PO f. 936b/3 24 o£, Bernbaum's translation (Bernbaum 1986:48)- Bernbaum cites Hiroshi Sonami's opinion that dam_pa_dang po'i sangs rqyas rayud is meant to modify the title of the following text (Bernbaum 1986:93 [n. 140]). Tf respectfully differ on this point. 28 See Newman (i987) for a discussion of the Parama@dibuddha and some of the other milatantras referred to in the Vimalaprabhd. Bernbaum follows Roerich's early translation of byang chub sems dpa'i_skor as "the knowledge of the Bodhisattvas" as opposed to my rendering of this expression as "the Bodhisattva Corpus" (Bernbaum208 that the author of the KalSpvat@ra was familiar with the K@lacakra literature, and that he assumed his readers were as well, This explains why some of the mythological elements appearing in the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha are absent in the Kalapavatara: the author felt no need to repeat what was already common knowledge. In brief, Bernbaum's theory that the Kalapavatara influenced the Sri kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha is without foundation. The opposite is certainly the case. Turning to the question of whether or not the journey to Sambhala as depicted in the Kalapavatdra is intended to function as an allegory for the path to enlightenment, my reading of the text differs considerably fron Bernbaun's. As I understand it, the Kaldpavatara describes a fantastic journey replete with horrible dangers and hardships, monsters, and seductive inhuman females. It is a clever adaptation of the journey to Uttarakuru described in the Ramayana, as Bernbaum has convincingly demonstrated. However, it strikes me as being mainly a piece of literature - I do not see anything especially soteriological about it. It is true that the text prescribes various sadhanas as means of overcoming the 1986:40-41, 89 [n. 86]). This is a step backward. By the time Roerich translated the Deb ther sngon po he understood that this referred to a body of literature (Roerich 1949:753, 762-765, 824-825, 838).208 dangers, hardships, monsters, and so forth, but these are nothing but mundane magic.26 in any case, if the Kal@pavat@ra articulates an allegory for the path to enlightenment, why is there no evidence that the Indians or Tibetans understood it in that way? One would expect Panchen bLo bzang dpal Idan ye shes to take some notice of this in his Shambha la'i lam yig, yet he does not. Also, if the Kalapavat@ra is an allegory for the path, how is it related to the path explained in the Kdlacakra tantra? These are questions that must be addressed before we can elaborate theories about the deeper significance of the guidebooks to Sambhala. ‘The preceding criticism is not intended to depreciate the many meritorious features of Bernbaum's dissertation. Although I do not agree with all of his interpretations of the aims and significance of the guidebooks, Bernbaum is certainly on the right track in interpreting them within a Buddhist context, His translation of the Kalapavatara is a useful aid to the study of this difficult work, and it 26 Bernbaum says, "The specific sadhanas employed along the way to the kingdom all pertain to the utpanna krama [sic] or arising stage of practice, involving the visualization of and identification with a deity" (Bernbaum 1986:223). This is incorrect. The sadhanas described in the Kalapavatdra are only aimed at worldly siddhis, and are not necessarily related to the utpattikrama at all, just as the visualization of and identification with a deity is_ not specific to the utpattikrama, or even to the Vajrayana.206 makes an unusual and interesting text available to scholars who cannot read Tibetan. Bernbaum's discovery that the Kalapavatdra is related to the journey to Uttarakuru episode of the RamZyana helps to explain many of the literary features of the former text, and provides a case study in religious literary syncretism. Although it does not play an important part in his thesis, Bernbaum's discovery of a manuscript of Man lungs Guru's itinerary is very significant. One hopes that this text will be published soon, because it no doubt contains a wealth of valuable geographical and historical information, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, has recently published a book entitled The Kalachakva Tantra Rite of Initiation for the Stage of Generation (Dalai Lama 1985).27 The book is translated, edited, and introduced by Jeffrey Hopkins. Hopkins! introduction "first describes the general Great Vehicle view on purification into a state of altruistic service as well as the special tantric practice of deity yoga that is founded on compassion and realization of emptiness. Next, 27 Reviewed by Batchelor (1986).207 it describes the process of initiation for the stage of generation, outlining and explaining the many steps in the ritual. Tt also provides background on the history of the Kelachakra Tantra and introduces the authors and texts" (Dalai Lama 1985:8). The main body of the book is a translation portions of mKhas grub dce legs dpal bzang's dPal dus kyi 'khor lo'i dkyil chog dgongs pa rab gsal together with the Dalai Lama's oral commentary. This covers the first seven Kalacakra initiations - the four exalted initiations are not treated. The book contains an extremely detailed description of the initiation processes, including the preparatory and concluding procedures. Following the explanation of the initiations are translations of a Kalacakra guru yoga composed by the Dalai Lama and two short six-session yogas. The former is the only Kalacakra sadhana text that has been published in translation, and it provides a good example of how these texts are arranged. The Kalachakra Tantra Rite of Initiation for the Stage of Generation is a valuable aid to the study of the Kdlacakra initiations and Vajrayana initiations in general.208 Geshe Lhundub Sopa The Geshe Lhundub Sopa coauthored The Wheel of Tim Kalachakra in Context (cf. Sopa 198$a) with Roger Jackson and myself. This book is a collection of essays dealing with various aspects of the Kalacakra system. The Dalai Lama's foreword, entitled “Concerning the Kalachakra" (pp. xi-xix), provides a brief overview of the system and its place within Buddhism. The first essay, Roger Jackson's "The Kalachakra in Context" (pp. 1-49), discusses the general evolution of Indian Buddhism, the development of the Vajrayana and the Kalacakra, and the Ka@lacakra's position in Tibetan Buddhism. The second essay is my "A Brief History of the Kalachakra" (pp. 51-90), in which I present a sketch of the entire mythology and history of the system based on Indian and Tibetan sources. The third essay, Geshe Sopa's "The Kalachakra Tantra Initiation" (pp. 91-117), provides a summary of the first seven Kdlacakra initiations and brief remarks on the two stages, or processes, of practice, (This essay is a helpful introduction to the initiations for readers wishing to study the Dalai Lama's book mentioned above.) The fourth essay is Jackson's “The Kalachakra Generation-Stage Sadhana" (pp, 119-138), a synopsis of portions of mKhas grub dGe legs dpal bzang's mKhas grub zhal lung. The sixth and final essay in the book, Geshe Sopa's "The209 Subtle Body in Tantric Buddhism" (pp. 139-158; first published as Sopa 1983), is a thought-provoking discussion of the Guhyasamaja and Kalacakra path systems.?6 Seshe Nqawang Dhargyey Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey has written a short article and a book dealing with the Kalacakra, both of which are intended for western disciples who have received initiation into the Ka@lacakra tantra. The article, "an Introduction to and an Outline of the Kalacakra Initiation" (Dhargyey 1975), briefly describes the place of the Kalacakra within Buddhism, the history of the system, its literature, and an outline of the eleven initiations. Geshe Dhargyey's book, A Commentary on the Kalacakra Tantra (Dhargyey 1985), is intended to be "restricted to those who have received the Kalacakra initiation." The book is an edited translation of lectures Geshe Dhargyey gave at the University of Washington - Seattle in the spring of 1982. It describes the preparations for initiation, the initiations themselves, the vows and pledges incumbent upon the initiate, and the practices of the generation and completion processes. 28 For a detailed comparison of the Guhyasamaja and Kalacakra completion processes see Cozort (1986:115-133).210 Japanese Study of the Kalacakra Japanese research on the Kalacakra appears to be limited to three articles: Hakuyu Hadano's "Fundamental Study on the Formation of 'Xa@lacakra-tantra'" (Hadano 1950) and "The Influences of Hinduism on Buddhism - The Formation of Kalacakra as a Counter Measure Against Islam" ({Hadano 1953); and Masanori Sakai's “Concerning the Paramarthasevé" (Sakai 1960). My knowledge of the contents of Hadano‘s studies is limited to a brief reference to the first article: according to Matsunaga, Hadano concluded that "The KAlacakra-tantra was compiled roughly between AD. 1027-1087..." (Matsunaga 1965:241). In fact the SrI_K&lacakra was probably composed a bit earlier than 1027, since Naro cites it, the Yimalaprabhé, and the Tantrahrdaya (Peking #5) in his Paramrthasamgraha. Sakai's article is concerned with the identification and contents of a fragment of a manuscript of Pundarika's Paramarthasevd that was found in China. Sakai corrects earlier misconceptions about the fragment, demonstrates its relation to the Kalacakra literature, and produces an improved edition of the text it covers - the ast two verses of the Paramarthaseva.ait Jagannatha Upadhyaya Jagannatha Upadhyaya's edition of the Sanskrit of the Sri _Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha (Upadhyaya 1986) marks a new ere in KElacakra studies. The work has not yet been released, and I only recently obtained a copy of it.29 Although I was unable to use it for this dissertation, the edition appears to provide a very serviceable version of the Sanskrit texts. Waving the verses of the Sri acakra printed together with the Vimalaprabha's commentary greatly facilitates the study of these texts and the Kalacakra system as a whole. ‘Thus far only the first part of Upadhyaya's edition has been published, covering the first two patalas of the tantra; we hope the remainder of the edition will appear without delay. Students of the Kalacakra shall be forever indebted to Prof. Upadhyaya, who passed away while his work was in the press. 29 1 am grateful to Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche, Principal of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies - Sarnath, for allowing a copy of Prof. Upadhyaya's work to be sent to me prior to its public release, and to John Makransky for facilitating its shipment.The Outer Wheel of Vajrayana Buddhist Cosmology in the Kalacakra Tantra Part II: Translation213 INTRODUCTION This part of the dissertation is a translation from the Sanskrit and Tibetan of Sri Kalacakra I.1-27, 128-170 and Vimalaprabha I.1.1-9,28, 10.128-149.1 My main purpose in translating the texts is to make them more easily accessible to interested scholars for further study. Thus I have striven for a literal translation that will serve as an aid to the study of the texts in the original languages Sanskrit didactic literature differs radically from our standards of literary organization and expression. The texts translated here are more systematically arranged than most Buddhist tantras, but they were written for the Indian literati of the 11th century, not for modern 1 he Sri kalacakra is numbered according to patala and verse: e.g., Sri Kalacakra I.1§ indicates the fifteenth verse of the first patala. The Vimalaprabha is numbered according to patala, uddega, and verse of the Sri Kalacakra; thus, Vimalaprabha 1.9.27 indicates the first Betalas the ninth uddeéa, and the comment on Sri Kdlacakra [.27. The first three uddegas of the Vimalaprabha are exceptions because they do not comment on the text of the Sri Kelacakra. The first uddea is entirely in verse, so it is numbered according to patala, uddeSa, and verse. The second and third uddegas are merely nunbered according to patala and uddesa T follow Upadhyaya's enumeration of the verses of Sri Kalacakra I, The Vira-Chandra and Banerjee editions omit Upadhyaya's verse 90, which appears in some of the older MSS and sone versions of the Tibetan translation. Thus, following verse 89 their enumeration of the verses must be increased by one in order to correspond to Upadhyaya's number ing.214 Westerners, Ideas and information are presented in what appears to us to be an abrupt, disjointed manner. In part this can be accounted for by the fact that these texts are not intended to be read independently, but with the guidance of a teacher belonging to the tradition who is able to supply missing information and, more important, the context. Also, the Sri acakra is not a’ treatise- it ds an encyclopedia along the lines of the purlnas Many subjects that are only mentioned in the translated portions of the text are explained at length later on in the tantra and commentary. Because of the interrelatedness of the subject matter of the tantra, a thorough explanation of the first chapter entails an exposition of the entire system. I have taken a step in this direction in Chapters 7 and 8 of Part I of this dissertation, but achievement of this goal remains a distant prospect. TEXTS SrI_kalacakra - Sanskrit See the Bibliography of Works in Sanskrit and Tibetan under SrI_Kalacakra (S), (S1), (ST). I translated the verses of the Sri_K&. acakra based on the Vira-Chandra edition (Sri Kalacakra (Si)] because it was the only printed edition available at the time. This edition is215 merely a collation of the readings of two mediocre manuscripts; thus: I re-edited the text in light of the Vimalaprabhd and the Tibetan translation. Since I completed my translation Banerjee's [Sri_kalacakra (5)] and Upadnyaya's (Vimalaprabhd (SU)] editions of the Sri Kalacakra have become available, but I was unable to use them except in a few instances. las i ea ‘lacakra ~ Tibetan See the Bibliography of Works in Sanskrit and Tibetan under $ri_Kalacakra (T). This is Bu ston's annotated revision of Shong ston rDo rje rgyal mtshan's translation, the translation that appears in the Kanjur. It is extremely accurate and faithful to the Sanskrit. Vimalaprabha - Sanskrit I obtained Upadhyaya's edition of the Sanskrit of the Vimalaprabha (VYimalaprabha (SU)} too late to use for translating. However, I have inserted its page numbers in the body of the translation for easy reference - these are marked "U." The translation is based on my collation of the readings of three manuscripts: B: Asiatic Society of Bengal MS #G.10766; palmleaf; old Bengali script; dated 39th regnal year of Harivarman of216 Bengal (reigned ca. 11th-12th century). For further description and extracts see Shastri (191 279-82). N: Asiatic Society of Bengal MS #G.4727; palmleaf; old Newari script. or further description and extracts see Shastri (1917:73-79). D: The Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions (stony Brook, N¥) microfiche MBB I-24 - Lith} 000,024 [film-strip no, MBB-1971-24-25]; Nepali paper; devanagari. B is a splendid manuscript, and must be the basis of any truly critical edition of the Vimalaprabh3. Since it was copied only about a century after the composition of the text, it represents the oldest extant version of the Sanskrit.2 It faithfully preserves many grammatical and orthographic peculiarities that have been "corrected" in more recent manuscripts. A cautious editor must have good reason to go against a reading appearing in this manuscript. N is written in a fine hand by a careless, illiterate copyist - consonants are often redundant, and in the photocopy I used the vowels are often illegible. Nevertheless it preserves a fairly accurate text. D appears to be a modern copy of a good exemplar. The 2 vor another important manuscript of the Vimalaprabha see Shastri (1897:915-316) and my discussion in Part I, Chapter 9 under Hara Prasad Shastri.217 copyist sometimes misreads the conjunct consonants and vowels of the exemplar. Vimalaprebha - Tibetan See Vinalaprabha (7) in the Bibliography of Works in Sanskrit and Tibetan. This is Bu ston's annotated revision of Shong ston rDo rje rgyal mtshan's translation, the translation appearing in the Tanjur. It is extraordinarily accurate and faithful to the Sanskrit. Occasionally annotations have been inserted into the body of the text and vice versa (undoubtedly scribal or carving errors), but these corruptions are easy to detect. Commentaries I mainly relied on mKhas grub's De _kho na nyid_snang bar_byed pa: see the Bibliography of Works in Sanskrit and Tibetan under rGyud thams cad _kyi raval po...(Dus_‘khor {Ii chen). This massive subcommentary explains the Sri KAlacakra and the Vimalaprabha in great detail - it is an invaluable aid to the study of these texts. It is also an important source for early Gelugpa polemics against the gzhan stong interpretations of the Kalacakra propounded by Dol po pa Shes rab rgyal mtshan, Bo dong Phyogs las rnam rgyal, etc, mKhas grub constantly attacks the views of anonymous “others," and an annotator has identified the218 "others" as "Dol," "Phyogs," and so forth. Khas grub's biases must be taken into account when using his subcommentary - he sometimes forces the basic texts to fit his own notions of orthodoxy. Fortunately, this phenomenon is rare, and more often than not mKhas grub gives a balanced account of the conflicting interpretations of a particular passage. I made occasional use of the Padmini, a pafijikd on the entire Vimalaprabha. This text would be extremely important if it was not so poor. It was translated into Tibetan by Somandtha, and thus dates to the middle of the lith century. Unfortunately it only comments on the easier portions of the text, and it seems to make a number of factual errors that indicate the author was not well versed in the Kalacakra.? I also used Bu ston's sNying po snang ba'i ‘od zer ~ @ commentary on the first uddeSa of the Vimalaprabha‘— and I have translated all of Bu ston's annotations to the 3 These comments only apply to the portions of the Vimalaprabhd translated here. I have not examined the Padmini's notes on the later chapters of the text. 4 this appears to be a restatement of the anonynous éPal_ldan dri ma dang bral_ba'i ‘od kyi rayud la at bshad_sbyar_snying po snang_ba (Peking #2066), an Indian commentary to the first uddeda of the Vimalaprabha. nkhgs grub refers to yet another commentary on the first uddega by Acalagarbha, but I have not been able to locate it in the Tanjur.219 Sri KElacakre and the Vimalaprabhd. (The latter are very often incorporated in mKhas grub's subcommentary verbatim and without notice.) PROCEDURE Before translating the texts I edited them based on the materials described above.® With manuscripts, translations, and commentaries of such a high quality available, it was almost always a simple but time~ consuming matter to establish the correct reading. (Because my main interest here is in translating the texts, I have provided yariae lectiones only for particularly problematic or interesting words and passages.) Next I interpreted the texts based on the Tibetan translations and commentaries. This, of course, was the most subjective part of the process. I attempted to strike a balance between my literal reading of the Sanskrit and the Tibetan interpretations. There were very few cases where I thought the Tibetan translators or 5 Before beginning my dissertation research I learned of the inninent publication of Upadhyaya's edition of the Sanskrit of the Sri Kalacakra and the Vimalaprabha, nd Banerjee's edition of the Sri Kalacakra. In Correspondence dated 18.1.83, Professor Banerjee informed me that his edition of the Vimalaprabha is also completed and in the press. With these editions soon to be available, I decided to forego providing an edition of the texts in this dissertation.220 commentators had forced the text to fit their own viewpoints against the author‘s intention. In such instances I translated according to my reading of the Sanskrit. On the other hand, there were innumerable cases where the translations or commentaries illuminated the Sanskrit. In such passages I naturally followed the Tibetans. The Tibetans translated and retransiated the sri Kalacakra at least fourteen times; the Yimalaprabha more than ten. This is extraordinary given the size and complexity of these texts, I am certain the following translation can be improved upon in many ways, but I nevertheless hope it will increase the readers’ understanding and appreciation of the remarkable world view of the Kalacakra.221 (u 1; Bu 302) In Sanskrit: Vimaiaprabha@-nama- milatantranusarini-dvadagasahasrika~ laghukdlacakratantrarg iat In Tibetan: bsDus _pa'i rgyud kyi rqyal po dus kyi _'khor lo'i 'grel bshad rtsa ba'i rayud kyi rjes su ‘jug pa stong phrag bou gnyis pa dri ma med pa'i ‘od ces bya ba. In Englis : Whe Stainless Light," The Twelve Thousand Line Commentary on the Abridged wheel of Time King of Tantra, Following the Basic Tantra. Commentary to the Chapter on the Cosmos The First Great Brief Account, Which Destroys All Devils and_Obstructors: The Precept _on the Supreme chosen Deity and the Noble Path (D 1b) Homage to Mafijun@tha! Homage to Sri Kalacakra!! Homage to Sri Kalacakra, who consists of emptiness and compassion, without origination or annihilation in the 1 The first homage appears in the MSS, but not in Bu. The second homage appears in Bu, but not in the MSS. The first was probably inserted by the scribes, the second by the Tibetan translator. mKhas grub says that the translator's homage was inserted as a mark of auspiciousness so that the translation would be completed (TC 202).222 three existences, the single image of knowledge aad objects of knowledge. //(1) Homage to the one embraced by Bhagavati Prajfa who is aspectless although possessing aspec to the one possessing the unchanging bliss of the abandonment of origination and annihilation, rid of the bliss of laughter and so forth; to the Progenitor of the Buddhas, possessing the Three Bodies, rightly knowing the three times - the Omniscient Bhagavan Paramadibuddha, that very nonduality.//(2)? 2 yvimalaprahi 1.1.2 and 1.1.99 both appear at the end of Peking #2185: see vol. 51, 183/2/1-3. This text, entifled sri-dvibiujasahajasapvara-sadhana, is attributed to Sri Vajraghanta (dPal rDo rje dril bu); it was translated by Chag hos rje dpal under the guidance of the Indian pandit Ratnarakeita. ‘Gos gzhon nu dpal points out the fact that Vimalaprabha I.1.2 appears in Vajraghanta's work, and cites this as evidence to support his view that the Kalacakra emerged in India long before the more commonly accepted period (Deb ther _sngon_po 886; Roerich 1949:754~755). (Note: In his translation of the Deb ther sngon po, Roerich (1949:754) misidentifies the work in question as the Sahajasamvara-sadhana, also attributed to Vajraghanta. That text (Derge #1496; Peking #2153) contains nothing on Kalacakra.} Vajraghanta, like most of the mahasiddhas, has not been dated with any certainty, but a legend recounted by Taranatha (Chimpa 1970:222) places him early in the spread of the yogini tentras: he may have lived during the 6th century. Thie, of course, is long before.the Kalacakra appeared. ‘There seems to be an easy way out of this dilemma. Peking #2155 is identical to Sadhan: #258 (pp. 503- 505); the only difference is that the Sadhanamala text does ‘not contain Vimalaprabha I.1,99 (but it does contain Vimalaprabha 1.1.2), The Sadhanamala text, entitled Dyibhujasambaropadeéa, is attributed to a pandit named Ratnakaragupta. Tarandtha (Chimpa 1970:310) mentions a223 Homage to Kalacakra: the Buddha sitting on the lion throne, the pure vajrayoga worshipped by the three existences, a single reality having sixteen aspects due to the divisions of the Bodies, beyond nonexistence and existence, the unity of knowledge and objects of knowledge, meeting of the best of Jinas, the true aim having twelve aspects due to the factors, bodhicitta, the thunderbolt abode of the Jina.//(3) Homage to the Adibuddha: the Omniscient Connate Master of the Jinas, likewise the Gnosis Body - Dharma Body, the Enjoyment Body - the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, and the Emanation Body - the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals; the liberations; (Bu 303) Body, Speech, Mind, Passion; beyond origination and dissolution, pure yoga~ nondual wisdom and method; praised by gods, men, and demons. //(4) Gnosis is well-purified, purified, and unchanging by the gnosis of emptiness. Mind is well-purified, nondual, the self of phenomena by the signless gnosis. Speech is purified by the wishless gnosis, is mantra, the inexhaustible sound. Even so, the stainless one purified by the non-constructional gnosis (U 2) is the yoga that Ratnakaragupta as the upadhyaya of Vajrdsana, and the context places him around the end of the 11th century. Thus, I follow the SadhanamAla's ascription of authorship over that of Peking.224 consists of wisdom and method, the Body of shape that goes miraculously. Homage to beginningless, endless, peaceful bodhicitta: the one the Tatha@gatas call Vajrasattva, Bodhisattva, Mah@sattva, Samayesattva; the overlord who has exhausted existent and nonexistent. //(5-8)° Homage to the word EVAl Emanation Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis is a single yoga bond. Enjoyment Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis is a single yoga bond.//(9) The splendid Dharma Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis is a single yoga bond. connate Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis is a single yoga bond.//(10) This is not the bliss born from copulation during waking, dreaming, deep sleep, or the fourth. It does not dwell in the four abodes: gnosis, mind, speech, and body. //(11) It has completely cast away the karmamudra and abandoned the jfid@namudra; it is rightly born from the mah3mudr3. It is connate; it does not associate with another. //(12) It has passed beyond conceptual meditation; it is the unchanging bliss of mahamudrS (Bu 304). It has abandoned object and subject, shape, thought, and expression. //(13) 3 vimalaprabhd I.1.8¢ is virtually identical to Guhyasamaja 18.38a.225 It has the aspect of a city of the gandharvas, the nature of a prognostic image; it is the yoga consisting of wisdom and method. //(14) (D 2a) Hemage to Mahamudra: passed beyond atomic reality, having the nature of a prognostic image, possessing the best of all aspects.//(15) Homage to Vigvamata: the progenitor of all the Buddhas, who has abandoned origination and destruction, who possesses the conduct of Sanantabhadra.//(16) Homage to Kalacakra: even though he has abandoned the absorption of Ali and Ali, andthe letters HUM, PHAT, and so forth, he is the Body born from the unchanging. //(17) Homage to the Omniscient one, the one called “Gnosis Body," the Body Like the Sun - Overlord, the Eye of spreading Lotus Petals. He is the Suddha consisting of the four Bodies due to the division of the sixteen realities. He sits on the vajra lion throne, and is praised by gods and demons. He was previously entreated by Sucandra.//(18-19) (U 3) Homage to the union of the Pure and Gnosis; to the pledge of the best of Jinas - the union of Mind and Dharma; to the union of Speech and Enjoyment; to the joining of Body and Emanation worshipped by the three existences. This nondual knowledge and object of knowledge, past existence and nonexistence, is four-fold226 Vajrasattva, Homage to that vajrayoga consisting of wisdom and method that is praised by gods, men, and demons. //(20) 1 bow my head to the Master worshipped by the three worlds: one foot on menses-sun in the vajra gem, the second on semen-moon in the usnisa. They are always undivided, indivisible, set in desire.//(21)4 I bow my head to the Master worshipped by the lord of the gods. His feet are set together with the feet of the Mother of Existence (Bu 305) on the heads of Tévara and Mara, upon the mandalas of wind, fire, water, earth; Meru, a lotus, the moon, the sun, and energy.//(22) Thus I, a fool, desire to express in the Kalacakra the yoga of unchanging supreme bliss. It is the vajrayoga served and taught by innumerable Sugatas; it is proclaimed by all bodhisattvas who hold the best thunderbolt, who know the mantras. The garuda, swift-moving master of those who travel in the sky, goes in space; can another bird not go?//(23) In order to cross over it I have entered the great ocean in which the holders of 4li-drop, the lords of Jinas, have clearly said that all of existence together 4 whis verse is cited and commented on at Paranarthasaygraha (S) 68.227 with the mantras are in one's own body. If I reach the other shore, it is due to the power of the Jinas.//(24) By means of his ten powers, the Buddha previously prophesied the short tantre in the Paranddibuddha spoken to the Master of the Secret. Thus, MafijuSrI spoke this entire Kalacakra-laghutantra to the sages in Kalapa.//(25) The sixty thousand line commentary written by Sucandra revealed the meaning of all the vehicles.//(26) I, Pundarika, shall write a twelve thousand line text on the Abridged Tantra, following the Basic Tantra, that divides the vajra word.//(27) (D 2b) A yogi dwelling on the path of right gnosis, who has taken the supreme initiation through the ritual taught by the Jina, should hear this tantra or all of the Abridged King of Tantra. Then casting away arrogance, much pleasure, and wealth, one whose mind is fixed on Buddhahood - who acts to benefit others, (Bu 206) should listen to this commentary on the overlord from the guru.//(28) One without psychic powers who dwells in the splendid Vajrayana with a heart full of the conceptual dharmas of many treatises devises great commentaries with scholarly conceit - he is like a crazed blind elephant. One who lives to conquer his enemy's tantra causes the ruin of his own tantra - he is always the kinsman of Mara.//(29)228 (U 4) One arrogant in his scholarliness who does not know the speech of the Masters of Jinas, who is always blind to the way, devises a commentary on the best vehicle. He causes other blind men to fall, and enters hell himself. The bliss of women draws his mind to the nonvirtuous paths of despair, killing, and so forth. His bliss of Sri Praja is destroyed. His thunderbolt word is destroyed. He is overcome by external pleasures. //(30) All those the Teacher himself prophesied in the Vajrayana that gives the bliss of the Master of Jinas, who compose commentaries and abridgenents, are bodhisattvas such as myself, holders of the best thunderbolt. They speak here through the power of the Buddha in order to mature gods, nagas, and men. Those who do not have the five psychic powers® and say, “We are Lords of Jinas," speak lies. //(31) In the future people having various opinions will always trust treatises on dialectics and so forth. Buddhists will also be misled by encountering others’ dialectics. 1 shall write a commentary that crushes the 5 The five psychic powers are: (1) clairvoyance, (2) clairaudience, (3) mind reading, (4) remembrance of one's Gwn and others’ former existences, and (5) the magical fower of flying in space. See Paramarthasangraha (S) 5; (1) 107/1/3-4.229 faults of the evil opinions of even those who, trusting dialectics, teach the path to the desired object.//(32) The ocean of fluid existence has waters of limitless dust. It is churned by snakes and crocodiles - hatred bereft of discrimination. It has a great many currents of delusion. on its beaches are waves of longing for wealth and prosperity that come and go. (Bu 307) In it the mare's mouth maelstrom of the karmas of despair and so forth, and killing and so forth, emits a fierce sound. This commentary on the splendid Vajrayana is always a helmsman. //(33) It is a leader on the way so that the great ones striving for the further shore of nirvana, who go swiftly by the sail of wisdom, may quickly cross by means of the noble bliss. This commentary thoroughly reveals the wishing-gem of true gnosis that is proficient in destroying the host of passion-devils, that gives one lordship over the three worlds.//(34) The great mudrd of Vajradhara is the only one that gives the bliss of omniscience. It is the object that properly destroys the obscurations of the aggregates and so forth. It is like the eight prognostics. One may abandon that and serve a deceitful woman attached to wealth, or an imaginary woman, for Buddhahood. But230 because of that woman whose mind is full of ideas, one will just be reduced to ejaculation. //(35) (D 3a) From the ruination of desire comes sin, due to hatred towards the most beloved one. From hatred comes delusion; from this one's vajra fall. From that one's mind becomes continually stupid. (U5) One takes up all other objects - ignoble food, drink, and so forth. That ridicules one's mind, destroys one's bliss, and causes such a wretch to wander in the six destinies. //(36) Those intent on the path to omniscience do not greatly discriminate between proper and improper words. ‘They always enter the path of the great ones, even through the lowly languages of various countries. The Omniscient one's language is Other, in accordance with the inclinations of sentient beings. The language of those who argue about the words and so forth the gods and nagas arranged in the grammars is different.//(37) A yogi grasps the meaning even from vernaculars and corrupt words. Swans draw out and drink the milk mixed in the water. //(38) (Bu 308) In the field of ultimate reality great ones never rely on the letters. What is the use of technical terms when one understands the meaning from the local expressions?//(39)231 ‘That which proper or corrupt words can express is not gnosis. That which is parochial to the world is not the language of the Omniscient one. //(40) ‘The supreme unchanging Fourth is the Buddhas’ wisdom- gnosis. The Jina said that which is again like that is his mabSmudra.//(41) What will increase the bliss of one who ejaculates his white semen during intercourse with his prajfa? From what will the mango fruit arise if its bud falls in the spring?//(42) A miserable person who has not obtained unchanging bliss seeks transitory bliss. The cdtaka bird, which is always searching for water, will not drink water on the ground even though it is thirsty.//(43) The great idiot strives for the impermanent bliss of samsara even though he does not obtain it. Even though he obtains the bliss of total sovereignty, the wise man casts it away for liberation. //(44) The lion who feeds on deer seeks the delight of coitus once at the end of the year. The pigeon who eats gravel does so all the time.//(45) But neither has the supreme bliss because they emit their semen once, or all the time. The ascetic and the libidinous man are similar because they ejaculate in a dream, or awake. //(46)232 (U 6) Bven a sleeper who is bitten by a snake does not live. An ascetic ruined by @ powerless woman's vulva is similar, because he does not retain his semen. //(47) Cloth of asbestos thread is purified just by burning it in fire. Likewise, the noble mind of men is purified by wisdom-gnosis. //(48) {Bu 309) Quicksilver touched by fire does not remain motionless, it escapes. Semen without method is always like that from touching a vulva.//(49) Although quicksilver moves it is bound by mixings with fire due to the power of medicaments and so forth. Likewise, semen is bound by mixings with wisdom by means of the superior yogas.//(50) (D 3b) Although fire always dwells in wood, it is not seen by means of cutting and splitting. The fire dwelling there is seen by the hands churning the fire rill on its base.//{51)® 6 vimalaprabha 1.1.51-74 also appear, in a slightly different order, in Anupanaraksita's Sadafgayoaa (Peking #2102; vol. 47). Thus, these, verses are conmented on in the Gupabharani, Ravisrijaana's commentary on the Sadaigayoaa- The correspondences and locations are as follows: Vimalaprabha Sadahgayoga T.1,51-52 278/2/3-5 1.1.53-54 278/2/1-3 6a/5-6b/5 1.1.55-74 218/2/5-275/4/8 Ta/S-12a/1233 Likewise, the clear light of mind is not seen by means of imaginative meditation. It is seen right there by unifying the lalana and rasana. //(52) one does not obtain the sixteen aspect reality having four divisions that the Tathagata taught through the path of various conceptual thoughts and so forth; for one is separate from the path.//(53) The reality that is the yoga of the completion process, that is separate from the thoughts of the letters Gi, Hag, and so on taught for the generation process, is the practice of reality; there is no other.//(54) A yogi obtains that which is called the supreme unchanging bliss of the Buddhas, or the connate bliss of the procuresses, by this path that consists of the signs smoke and so forth, by conveying the vital winds into the middle channel through pranayama, and by not letting the vajra fall - as well as drawing up the semen, through the discipline with a vidya.//(55 & 56) Worldly sidahi is achieved by conditioning oneself to the meditations on the mandala circle and so forth, that have thoughts of form and so on. How can such achieve the great desired siddhi?//(57) (Bu 310) The path arises from the kindness of the noble guru for pure disciples who continually exert234 themselves for the virtuous aims of others out of their love for sentient beings.//(58) (J 7) Bandits of an evil land will capture the jewel of one dwelling in his own forest hermitage if he gives this jewel of the good path to another, careless sentient being. //(89) The bandits of doubt, despair, sleep, laziness, and wildness capture tie jewel of the good path of one gone into the thicket of the household. //(60) The bandits who always capture the jewel are: killing, stealing, adultery, lying, harsh words, slander, idle talk, covetousness, malice, and wrong views.//(61) And so do the five sets of five bandits: the primary sins, the auxiliary sins, the killings, the thefts, and the graspings at the objects of the sense faculties.//(62)7 ‘The numerous bandits of too much food and drink, and various pleasures, capture the jewel of one who is careless and unconscious, even though he has energy. //(63) 7 hese twenty-five "bandits" are enumerated, with some variation, in the following sources: Sri Kalacakra T1l.93-94, cited and commented on in the Paramarthasangraha (S) 15-16; Padminl 48/4/3-6 Gapabharan? 6b/3-90/4; sNying po snang ba'i ‘od zer 298- 300; TC 291/2-5; Dang po'l sangs rayas dpal dus kyi ‘khor Jo'i_1o rayus dang ming gi rnam qrangs 269; dPag bsan yongs'du'i snye ma 35/3-36/3.235 If one who is no judge shows a jewel to some other knave to determine whether or not it is very valuable, his words will make one give up the jewel.//(64) Have those who know good jewels examine the great jewel. One should know one's own jewel through their pure words. //(65) Mara creates obstacles with the forms of perfect Buddhas, bodhisattvas, fathers, mothers, daughters, sisters, sons, brothers, and desired wives.//(66) (Bu 911) Therefore disciples, having abandoned the household of bandits, should zealously hide the jewel of the good path given by the noble guru.//(67) The hero process is not the path of liberation, and neither is the self-blessing process. The Buddhas teach solely the very pure process for liberation. //(68) (D 4a) The lords of Jinas grasp those who have performed the five sins of immediate retribution with the bliss that is the aim of the initiation in the tantra that consists of wisdom and method. //(69) The hero process is not external; it is said to be the very exhaustion of the winds in the body. The self- blessing is named the vision of the three realms in the void. //(70) Mens' fruit of Buddhahood arises from the exhaustion of spent samsara, just as the ripened fruit of the236 plantain arises from the destruction of the plantain. //(70) (U 8) Sentient beings such as scorpions and crabs destroy that from which they arise. Likewise, the mind of yoga destroys illusion. //(72) The sixteen realities are: nondual, unmoving, impartial, desire, supreme unchanging, great lust, not existent nor nonexistent, gnosis, sentient being, completely good, //(73) noiseless, great noise, connate, holder of the drop of splendid bodhicitta, Sri Kalacakravajra, and the yoga that consists of wisdom and method. //(74) The Body of compassion and emptiness, Time possesses phenomenal form. Emptiness is called "the Wheel"; the Kalacakra is accepted as nondual.//(75)® obstacles are permanently destroyed for a yogi who always meditates on the f t of the yoginis in order to quickly obtain the splendor of Kalacakra (Bu 312) .//(76) Enemy, lion, lord of elephants, fire, master of snakes, bandits, being bound by a noose, raging ocean, ghouls causing the fear of death, disease, Indra's deputies, poverty, being without a women, fear of an agitated king, lightning strike, and destruction of wealth ® cited at Paramrthasanaraha (S) 8.237 = these are destroyed for one who clearly remembers the feet of the yoginis.//(77)° one who is being destroyed in battle by enemies - by elephants, chariots, horses, and numerous excellent infantry, all armored and bearing spears, discuses, swords, and bows and arrows - should remember the feet of the yoginis. He will conquer all those enemies - death- givers having fierce vicages, dwelling in the cardinal and intermediate directions - with his own weapons, and will gain the fame of victory.//(78) The lion roars and his face is distorted; he bares his sharp teeth and twitches his tail. He wards off the forehead of the crazed elephant with his curved, strong claws. He is enraged and his eyes are red like the early dawn. His sword-tongue lolls about. He has a mane and desires to kill. The lion goes far away when one renenbers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear.//(79) The great master of elephants is blue-colored. His eyes are tawny and his temples are full of masses of rutting musk. He uproots numerous great trees and smashes then. He thunders like a dragon. He binds one with his trunk, and chops one up with the tips of his tusks (D 4b). 9 or. SrI kalacakra III.203.238 ‘The body of one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear is freed from such an elephant.//(80) (0 9) The fire that extends in all directions has flames that blaze everywhere in the cardinal and intermediate directions. Its dense smoke envelops one in great darkness. It simultaneously burns the village and the forest. It emits sparks like a falling star, and always makes sentient beings afraid of death. (Bu 313) Such a fire becomes cool for one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear.//(81) The lord of hooded snakes is enraged; he is the color of blue eye ointment. As he moves he writhes and utters a fierce hiss. His fangs are curved and he has two tongues. He makes one afraid of death. As swift as the wind, he is very wrathful, and his eyes are cruel. He displays his hood, and strikes and bites. Such a snake is destroyed for one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear.//(82) The bandits in the forest are malevolent; in the palms of their hands are bows and barbed arrows. Dwelling in the cardinal and intermediate directions, they hold spears, discuses, and swords. The cruel-eyed ones block the ground of the noble path, and strike and rob the moving traveller. such bandits become distant for one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear.//(83)239 one's arms are tied with nooses, and the pair of lotus feet of one's legs are covered with iron fetters. Deprived of good water, one's tongue, throat, and lips are parched. One's body is emaciated and racked with hunger. Day and night the guards guard one on the orders of an angry ruler, Even so, one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear is freed from that bondage. //(84) Conveyed in an ocean-going vessel, the ocean is tossed and turned about by boundless fierce winds. one is stopped by pirates - gangs of crocodiles and sharks. They fling the vicious fire-oil, and a great incessant rain of fire falls all about. Even so, one who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear passes beyond that (Bu 314) .//(85) Holding cleavers and skull cups in their hands, cruel-minded zombies dwell in the circle of the ten directions and horrify. Howling, sending forth terrifying sounds, blazing fire comes out of their mouths. Racked with hunger, they eat flesh and delight in human blood. Their bodies are emaciated and naked. One who remembers the feet of the yoginis that dispel fear is protected from such zombies. //(86) Each day one wails, and the stubs of one's fingertips rot, One's nose, lips, and ears deteriorate. Due to the strength of the putrid stench one's relatives abandon one240 like a corpse. One who remembers the good feet of the yoginis becomes free from diseases and satisfied. //(8?) (U 10; D Sa) Indra's messengers have flaming sharp tusks and the facee of snakes, lions, sarabhas, tigers, and elephants. In all directions they hold discuses, swords, arrows, tridents, hooks, and thunderbolts. They threaten the practitioner dwelling in supreme bliss, solely absorbed in concentration on enlightenment. These messengers are destroyed for one who places the feet of the mistresses of yoga in his own mind.//(88) In the rains one carries a load from the forest to the city on a path full of muck. In winter one travels naked on a snowy trail, and must even go to foreign lands. In the summer one is burnt by the rays of the sun on a waterless, terrible, desert path, Such a poor man is freed from those sufferings, and is satisfied, if he meditates on the gcod feet of the yoginis.//(89) The excretions of one's armpits, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and body give off an unbearable stench. Unlucky all the time, one is deprived of sexual pleasure due to separation from all ladies (Bu 315), Women may always hate one as a result of nonvirtue, All such as this become handsome and lucky should they meditate on the feet of the yoginis that give the best bliss.//(90)241 Due to treachery the lord of men is furious at the servants. Like the Yama of Death, he is continually intent on murder. He quickly dispatches troops make one afraid of death. Even such an angry king becomes pacified towards those servants if they meditate in their own minds on the feet of the yoginie - the protectors of all the three worlds. And indeed, with his gifts of complete honor, the king becomes a benefactor. //(91) For some, at times, lightning falls from the sky. And due to intercourse with women, the fall of the vajra perpetually causes them to die, to become unconscious, and to be devoid of desire, again and again, for life after life. Even that fall of the vajra becomes pacified for them, they die, and are not born again, by meditating on the splendid feet of the thunderbolt of the yoginis, that abides in the lotuses of the kam ifana-, and divine mudras.//(92) Sone lose all their wealth fron indifference, because of intercourse with women day and night. That occurs many times again from the mind being anointed with propensities in other lives. All that wealth is saved by meditating on the unequal and equal feet - having the form of the universe - of the praifls, the yoginis. They are worshipped and praised by the best of Jinas.//(93)242 The yoginis are the threefold path-passages of the sun, the moon, and R&hu: pifigala, iga, and avaanuti. Those two feet that go together, the destruction of existent and nonexistent, are their Gnosis Body. This one is their unchanging status of connate bliss. The result spoken of here, the dispelling of all fears, will quickly occur in this life for one who would remember just that {Bu 316) .//(94) The place of the splendid yoginis is the house of the thunderbolt gem. (U 11; D Sb) The path the Jina taught for entering that place is without passions, it destroys devils; here I express a preliminary praise. May those men who lose the path and always go in the darkness of falsehood from associating with devils obtain this path and come to the house of the thunderbolt gem without delay! //(95) Having meditated on the state of connate bliss through the paths of smoke and so forth, one may become Kalacakra. His limbs are the thirty-two major marks. Guru of the world, he dwells in this Wheel of Dharma. His lotus feet are kissed by the masses of light rays from the crest-gems of the diadems of the gods. He shows the noble path; like the day-maker sun he destroys all darkness. //(96)243 The crowns of the lords of gods, serpents, men, and demons caress his lotus feet. He is the day-maker sun of right gnosis, and he dwells in the splendid Dharma Wheel of the three worlds. Violent slayer of beasts - the devils and passions - he is the splendid lion of the Sakyas. I write this commentary impelled by his constant love for the world, and by his wisdom. //(97) By the letter KA the cause is pacified. By the letter LA there is indeed absorbtion into this. By the letter CA for the moving mind; by the letter KRA is the process due to binding. //(98)7° Time is the gnosis of unchanging bliss - the method consisting of compassion. The Wheel is the world in the aspect of objects of knowledge - the splendid wisdom consisting of emptiness. //(99)11 This $ri Kalacakra vajrayoga that dwells throughout the two truths is the discourse. May this tantra be the speaker of this.//(100) Prophesied by the Sugata, impelled by Mafjuéri, I, Lokandtha, write a commentary on this tantra (Bu 317) .//(102) 10 this verse is cited and commented on at Paramarthasangraha (S) 8. 11 See the note to verse 2 above.24a I write this connentary that discloses the secrets of tantra for the childish, learned fools. 1 write as a nother benefiting her sons, for the sake of bliss for all embodied beings. (102) Since yogis know the noble path of Vajrasattva from this, may this commentary Yimalaprabhd be quickly written. //(103) The First Great Brief Account, Which Destroys All Devils and_Obstructors: The Precept _on the Supreme Chosen Deity and_the Noble Path. From the Vimalaprabhi, the Twelve ‘Thousand Line Commentary on the Abridged Kalacakra King of entra, Following the Basic Tantra.248 The Second Brief Account: The Bhagavan's Teaching of the Tantra, Having Observed the Subject, the Discourse, their Relation, the Purpose, and the Uitimate Purpose (v 12) Here, first I will discuss the subject, the discourse, their relation, etc., and the prophecy of the Abridged Tantra, ete., following the Basic Tantra. Later I will also discuss the purpose, the ultinate purpose, and s0 forth, in the Abridged Tantra. [The former:] Here, first (the Bhagavan) observed the subject, the discourse, their relation, the purpose, and the ultimate purpose (of the tantra). It gives the result of Buddhahood in this life to people to be trained who are without precept, by means of the disposition of their own minds. (D6a) He sat in the abode of great bliss - the Paramadibuddha, the great mandala of the sphere of vajra- on the vajra lion throne. He was encircled by a host of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, fury kings, gods, nagas, and male and female deities. The three realms saluted his lotus-feet. He is the sole cakravartin of the three realms, the Paramadibuddha without partiality. He is the Bhagavan rT Kalacakra. Sucandra requested him for instruction, and he taught the twelve thousand verse Para buddha (Bu 318). The246 Paramidibuddha is the King of Tantra Kalacakra, without partiality. Tt is embraced by the Namasapgiti that makes evident the Gnosis Body of Vajradhara. The Paramadibuddha makes evident the vajra words in all tantras. It opens the jewel box of the Buddhas. It is based on worldly and transcendental truth. It is completely purified by the four perfect enlightenments and the four vajras. It speaks of the subject that consists of the four Bodies, the six families, the twelve truths, the sixteen realities, the sixteen emptinesses, and the sixteen compassions. It elucidates the ten worldly initiations and the eleventh transcendental initiation. It elucidates the karmamud) the jfanamudra, the mahamudra, and their worldly and transcendental siddhis. It consists of five chapters or five investigations:! cosmos, Soul, Initiation, Practice, and Gnosis. Tt is rightly taught so that all sentient beings, humans and so forth, may obtain true, perfect Buddhahood. (In the Paramadibuddha) the Tathagata prophesied that MafjuéeT would redact the Abridged Tantra from that (pardmadibuddha); that in the future I (Pupgarika) would 1 [mney are called “investigations” because sentient beings investigate the nonconceptual gnosis of the Bhagavan as they themselves are inclined. ]247 compose a commentary in order to train the brahman sages; that others, Yamantaka and so forth, would teach the tantra; and that all the sentient beings dwelling the nine hundred and sixty million villages in the lands of Sambhala and so forth would obtain the noble path.? (Bu 319) Here, the conglomeration of particles precedes the cosmos [the basis of birth and death]. The cosmos precedes sentient beings [the based]. Sentient beings precede the worldly and transcendental initiations {that make sentient beings suitable vessels for the mah@mudrd siddhi]. Initiation precedes accomplishing the worldly siddhis; the worldly siddhis are accomplished at the limit of the realm of Akanistha through conditioning oneself to meditation on the mandala circle of the collection of merits. The worldly siddhis precede accomplishing the mahamudra gnosis siddhi. The mahamudra gnosis siddhi is beyond the conglomeration of particles, and is separate from the conceptual meditations on the mandala and so forth. It is accomplished through the collections of merit and gnosis, (D 6b) and through the force of the propensities [of conditioning oneself to] 2 he preceding material is a kind of preface that is commented on later in this brief account.248 phenomenal emptiness and non-objectifying compassion in previous lives.? Therefore, the investigation of the cosmos is first; then the investigation of the soul; then the investigation of initiation; then the investigation of the accomplishment of the worldly siddhis; then the investigation of the accomplishment of the supreme unchanging gnosis. Thus, in such an order, the King of Tantra consists of five investigations, or five chapters. Here, the vajrayoga that consists of wisdom and method - the Adibuddha who is without partiality, Bhagavan Kilacakra - is the subject, Also, it consists of these natural topics of the five chapters:4 First, in "The Chapter on the Cosmos": (1) “omniscient One," etc., (in verse 1 presents) the natural topic of the Teacher. 3 [The aim of the fifth chapter is the mahamudré siddhi that exhausts birth and death, because the worldly siddhis do not exhaust birth and death. ] 4 [These natural topics are taught here in accordance with the Basic Tantra However, the Abridged Tantra has similar characteristics, so I (Bu ston) have Giranged my annotations here as they apply to the Abridged Tantra. ] fhe term I have glossed as “natural topic" (svabhavatayavasthita; ngo bo nyid kyis gnas pa) literally heans "(a thing) abiding by its own nature." mKhas grub's Correlation of the verses of the Abridged Tantra with {hese natural topics differs significantly from that of Bu Ston given in the annotations below; cf. Tc 335-352.249 (2) (Senage'i khri, etc., presents] the natural topic that specifies the place (Bu 320). (3) (Lha_mchog, etc., presents] the natural topic of the excellence of the great entourage. (4) [xGyal_pe, etc., presents] the natural topic of the requestor. (5) (rNal_'byor dpal idan, etc., presents] the natural topic of asking about the vajrayoga - the subject, the discourse [the excellent Dharma], the ultimate purpose [mi rnams, etc.], and so on. (6) (U 13) [Verse 2, stong pa ye shes, etc., presents] the natural topic of requesting the five syllable great void, ete., [the six syllable drop void], the origination of the universe [the families, the family menbers, nature, the soul, the measurements of the universe in the body, the arrangement of the three existences, and the experiences of gods and so forth], and the mandalas and initiations. (7) [Verse 3, zla ba bzang po, etc., presents] the natural topic of the Teacher's reply. (8) [Verse 4, dus kyis, etc., presents] the natural topic that summarizes the origination of the cosmos, mantras, planets; [verse 6, g.von qyi yan lag, etc., also presents the origination of Rahu and so forth; verse 8, a sogs, etc., presents the increase and decrease of the moon and260 sun,] asterisms, sentient beings (gods, men, and hooded snakes], and prapa [srog] and so forth. (9) [Verse 10, rlung gi, ete., presents] the natural topic of the mandalas of wind, etc., [verse 11, rlung gi, etc., presents] the number of the oceans, continents, and mountains. (10) [Verse 14, dang por chos bzang, etc., presents] the natural topic of the thirty-one existences. (11) [Verse 22, Ihun poli, etc., presents] the natural topic of the great cakravartin. (12) [Verse 24, phza dbugs, etc., presents] the natural topic of the measurements of the day, etc., by means of the very subtle breath, etc. (13) (verse 26, lo ‘di, ete., presents] the natural topic of the prophecy of Matijuéri. (Bu 321) (14) [Verse 27, me_mkha', etc., presents} the natural topic of the siddhanta and karapa astronomical calculations. (15) [Verse 64, stong phrag nyi shu rtsa_geig, etc., presents] the natural topic of the birth of the motions of the planets and the motions of the asteriens from the breaths of the middle channel. (46) [verse 52, tha skar la sogs, etc., presents] the natural topic of the terrestrial sphere by means of the aspects of the twelve houses.251 (17) [Verse 95, a sogs, etc., presents] the natural topic of the svarodaya, and so forth. (18) (verse 119, nyima, etc., presents] the natural topic of the places of power of Rahu and so forth. (19) [Verse 128, g.yul du, etc., presents] the natural topic of machines that breech and defend forts. (20) [Verse 180, chang dang, etc., presents] the natural topic of the cakravartin's tour around the twelve sections of the earth. (21) [verse 161, g-yul du, etc., presents] the natural topic of eradicating the barbarian dharma and establishing the Buddhadharma. (22) [The last two quarters of verse 164, de yi dus su tazin ma_dag_la, etc., presents} the natural topic of giving the path of the worldly and transcendental siddhis to ali sentient beings. (23) (The last half of verse 165, lha dang mi yi bla ma'i, etc., presents} the natural topic of the teachers Maftjusri and Lokegvara after [behind] and before [in front]. (24) [verse 168, tshangs pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the best 1ifespan of humans at the end of the Kaikis - the great cakravartin, and so forth. [the twenty-four outer and inner objects, and the twenty- four topics of the purified twelve houses and twelve252 factors of dependent origination] are in "The Chapter on the Cosmos." Then, in “The Chapter on the Soul," [a dialogue containing various topics regarding the body and so forth]: (1) First, [verse 4, sa_bon, etc., presents] the natural topic summarizing impregnation. (2) [Verse 6, gsang ba'i, etc., presents] the natural topic of thé union of menses, semen, Alayavijfana, and gnosis5 (D 7a; Bu 322). (3) [Verse 7, nya la, etc., presents] the natural topic of origination in the womb according to each individual month. (4) [Verse 6 presents] the natural topic of the ten states - fish and so forth. (5) [Verse 12, mngal du, etc., presents] the natural topic of the purity of the four Bodies and the four vajras. (6) [Verse 8, khu ba, etc., presents] the natural topic of origination in the womb by means of the four perfect enlightenments. (7) {Verse 24, thur sel, etc., presents] the natural topic of the twenty-one thousand, six hundred breaths; [verse 25, gtsug tor, etc.,] the three hundred and sixty regions 5 [some Indian manuscripts have “gnosis".] | N & D include; B & Bu omit.253 of the joints; [verse 18, sa yi, etc.,] the six elements; [verse 19, phung po'i, etc.,] the six tastes; [verse 20, stong pa, etc.,] the six sense faculties; [verse 20, dri, etc.,] the six objects; [verse 23, ngag, etc.,] the six action faculties, the six consciousnesses, the six constructions, the six feelings, the six perceptions; [verse 22, rna_ba, ete.,] the six forms, the six gnoses, the six cakras, and the six upper and lower mandalas. (8) (Verse 38 presents] the natural topic of the flowing of the left and right mandalas - the five aggregates and five elements - within the petals and pairs of nostrils of the navel and other lotuses. (9) (Verse 51, dus kyi lo, etc., presents] the natural topic of the issuing forth of all tantras within the middle channel. (10) [Verse 43 presents] the natural topic of the functions of the winds - prna and so forth. (11) [Verse 29, lus la bsam pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the origination of the deities’ enblens from the elenents. (12) [Verse 60, drug gi rtsa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the il] omens of sun, moon, and fire. (13) [Verse 62, skye ba, etc., presents] the natural topic of birth in the six destinies due to the ripening of karma.254 (Bu 923) (14) [Verse 67, phyogs dang, etc., presents] the natural topic of the divisions nadiks, etc. - the motions of the planets. (15) [Verse 107, dang por, etc., presents] the natural topic of cheating ill-omened death by means of joy, etc., inserted into the middle channel.® (16) [Verse 125, gser la, etc., presents] the natural topic of accomplishing external, worldly affairs. (17) [verse 161, bdaq med, etc., presents] the natural topic of examining all views through inference. (18) [Verse 177, zhes pa la sogs, etc., presents] the natural topic of establishing the Dharma in accordance with the beliefs of the various sentient beings. [These eighteen natural topics: the purified six inner treasuries of the body, the six channels, and six cakras,] re in "The Chapter on the Soul." Then, in "The Chapter on Initiation": (Verse 1 presents the question and the reply.] (1) First, [verse 2, dang por yang dag bsten bya, etc., presents] the natural topic of the examination of the guru. (2) [Verse 4, zab cing, etc., presents] the natural topic 6 mss add evam at the beginning of this clause.285 of examining and taking hold of the best, middling, and poorest disciples. (3) [Verse 5, nag po'i, etc., presents] the natural topic of the location of the village, etc., and [verse 7, sa vir ete., presents] the characteristics of the site, etc., in order to achieve free scope for action. (4) (Then comes) the natural topic of the characteristics of: [verse 10] the hearth; [verse 14, 'o ma, etc.,] the materials for the fire-offering; [verse 20, shel dang, etc.,] the rosary; [verse 18, zhi dang, etc., and verse 46, gchin rie, etc.,] the seat; [verse 12, yang na, etc.,] the stakes; [verse 12, de bzhin, etc.,] the vases; [verse 16, tehon ni, etc.,] the powders; [verse 19] the chalk line; and [verse 21] the arrangement of the diagram. (8) (U 14) [Verse 23, dpal_ldan, etc., presents] the natural topic of taking possession of the site, [verse 96, thig ni, etc.,] drawing the mandala, and comprehending the ten realities. (6) [Verse 84, rin chen, etc., presents] the natural topic of giving the worldly and transcendental initiations. (D 7; Bu 324) (7) [Verse 104, klu dang, etc., presents] the natural topic of the samadhi that consecrates everything. (8) [Verse 127, shes rab yum ni, etc., presents] the256 natural topic of worshipping the fair and the pledge in the pledge-circle. (9) [Verse 170, mthe bo, etc., presents] the natural topic of the gestures, gazes, pledge-symbols, classes, and so forth of the goddesses of the thirty-six families. (10) [Verse 201, dbang gi, etc., presents] the natural topic of dismissing the mandala circle. (11) [Verse 202, ‘jig rten pa _rnams, etc., presents] the natural topic of dismissing the powders to a great river, etc., and the host-circle to their individual homes, and, having done so, worshipping them. (12) (Verse 198, drug cha, etc., presents] the natural topic of pleasing the splendid guru with all gifts. [By dividing the exalted initiation into two there are twelve. These twelve pure topics] are in "The Chapter on Initiation." Then, in "The Chapter on Practice": [Verse 1 presents the question and the reply; verse 2, dus kyi, ete., presents the fabrication of an image of the Bhagavan; and verse 3 presents the place for practice. ] (1) First, [verse 3 also presents] the natural topic of the protection circle, etc.; [verse 4, dang por, etc.,] the purity of the faces, and the emission of the tathagatas by means of the light-rays of the seed on the moon at one's heart.287 (2) (Verse 4, mchod pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the unsurpassed worship, confession of sins, rejoicing in merit, going for the three refuges, offering oneself, generating bodhicitta, resorting to the path, objectifying emptiness, and so forth. (3) [Verse 8, stong pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the practices in the generation process such as: the foremost royal mandala; [verse 50, ho yig, etc.,] the foremost royal action; [verse 110, gtum mo, etc.,] the drop yoga; the subtle yoga; and so forth. (Bu 325) (4) [Verse 134, khro bo'i, etc., presents] the natural topic of the practices for external, worldly siddhi. (8) [Verse 201, ba glang, etc., presents] the natural topic of practices such as: sacrifice and so forth; [verse 203] Vedanta - the secret gnosis of reality; and the six factor yoga, etc. (6) [Verse 204, sbyor ba med pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of the collection of merits - giving and so forth. (1) [Verse 232, Iha yi, etc., presents] the natural topic of conditioning the perceptible and imperceptible minds. [The seven topics that achieve the purification of the pair of seven outer and seven inner things, or the seven inner births]258 are in "The Chapter on Practice." Then, in "The Chapter on Gnosis [Verse 1 presents the question and the reply.] (1) First, [verse 2, ka ba, etc., presents] the natural topic of the mandala of the purity of the elements - the body's bones and so forth. (2) (Verse 4, de ltar, etc., presents] the natural topic of the deities of Body, Speech, and Mind; and the six families. (3) [Verse 5, sde pa, etc., presents] the natural topic of A, etc., and KA, etc, - the six mantra families. (4) (Verse 8, ka sogs, etc., presents] the natural topic of the thirty-six wisdom and method tantras. (5) [Verse 13, dag par, etc., presents] the natural topic of the emission of method; [verse 18, phyogs kyi, etc.,] wisdom; [verse 22, ‘di la, etc.,] kriya; [verse 23, snying por, etc.,] yoganuviddha; [verse 25, thig ni, etc.,] mabasamvara and the six cakravartins. (6) [Verse 70, gang phyir, etc., presents] the natural topic of the Fourth initiation - the practice of the supreme, unchanging mahamudra gnosis siddhi. (7) [Verse 89, shes rab ma, etc., presents] the natural topic of the emission of the gnosis mandala. (8) [Verse 66, sems can rnams, etc., presents] the natural topic of the practice of serving bodhicitta.259 (Bu 326) (9) [Verse | gang zhig shes rab, etc., presents] the natural topic of the mal mudrS siddhi that consists of all aspects of knowledge and objects of knowledge. (10) [Verse 128, ]-sogs, etc., presents] the natural topic of the examination of all the functions of body, speech, and mind. (p a) (11) [Verse 92, phung po, etc., presents] the natural topic of teaching the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma. (12) [Verse 165, sa las, ete., presents] the natural topic of the contraction of the Buddha field. (18) [Verse 166, sangs rayas zhing ni, ete., presents] the natural topic of coursing in the space element together with bodhisattvas, great beings, as numerous as the particles of sumeru. (14) [Verse 167, yang dag ‘dzin, etc., presents] the natural topic of the origination of the Buddha field. (48) [Verse 169, mtha' dag, ete., presents} the natural topic of blessing the Buddha field as vajra. (16) {verse 193, ‘di_rnams, etc., presents] the natural topic of teaching the Dharma in accordance with the dispositions of sentient beings who have various inclinations.260 (17) [verse 201, bsreg byas, etc., presents} the natural topic of the essence, alchemy, and so forth - the practices for the bodily siddhis. (18) [Verse 232, dang por, etc., presents] the natural topic of fulfilling the aims of all sentient beings by means of the supreme unchanging bliss. (19) [verse 238, ye shes, etc., presents] the natural topic of the compendium of Dharma, and [verse 241, zia pati, etc.,] the compendium of mathematical terms. (20) [verse 244, gang la, etc., presents] the natural topic of praising the five syllable great void and [verse 248, gcig dang, etc.,] the six syllable drop void. [These twenty topics that symbolize the enlightenment in twenty aspects of the basis, path, and result] are in "The Chapter on Gnosis." [Thus, there is one Body to be adorned, and eighty good minor marks that adorn it; there are eighty-one pure topics (don bsdus).] (U 18) Thus, since it is taught in this order, Bhagavan Kalacakra [the basis, path, and result] (Bu 327), the natural topic of the five chapters, is the subject here.7 The collection of chapters that demonstrates this, the King of Tantra, is the discourse. 7 he remainder of this brief account is commentary on the preface appearing at its beginning.261 The speech is Bhagavan Kalacakra, the natural topic [that is the subject] of the five chapters. The speaker is the Kilacakra discourse that consists of five chapters. Also, the characteristic of speech and speaker: "the Bhagavan Adibuddha is the speech; the speaker is the Adibuddha discourse" - is the subject-discourse relation. Then, the purpose is to fulfill the aim of the collection merit. This is done by entering the mandala [commencing with going for refuge and generating bodhicitta], and by (the guru) giving the worldly initiations. [And by (the disciple) conditioning himself to the generation process path once he has been introduced to it.] The ultimate purpose is to fulfill the aim of the collections of merit and gnosis in order to obtain the mahmudra siddhi that is without partiality. This is done by (the guru) giving the great wisdom, the transcendental Fourth initiation [and by (the disciple) conditioning himself to the completion process path]. Observing these characteristics of the subject and so forth, it says, “to the people to be trained who are without precept, by means of the disposition of their own minds." Precept is the Sravaka's highest vow - the ethical vow to forsake enjoyment of the five objects of262 desire.® ‘Those who are without that are without precept. The disposition of their minds is craving to enjoy the five objects of desire. Likewise, craving for the great bliss of (the union of) the twe sexual organs is the disposition of the minds of those without precept (D 6! Bu 328). Regarding, "It gives the result of Buddhahood in this life by means of this disposition of their minds": The King of Tantra gives the result of Buddhahood in this life, in a human life, But it does not give it in lives in the five destinies of the gods and so forth. Why? Because they are not born in the land of karma. Here, it is the precept of the Bhagavan that, "Once they have obtained a human life, it will give the result of Buddhahood to the gods and so forth, too." (Even within human lives] (it refers to Buddhahood being obtained) "by a person who is a great soul, who consists of the collections of merit and gnosis, and the six elements." However, it is the precept of the Tathagata that, "It will not give the result of Buddhahood in the 8 [Since "highest" (koti; mchog) is the same term as “ten million" (koti; bye ba), there is the monk's training—the vows that guard ten million points; the novice's that guard ten points; and the lay-follower's that guard five points.]263, other case, in this human life of a person having evil karma." you may say, "But the Bhagavan Buddha says such as this in this Mantrayana: ‘outcastes, flutemakers, and so on, and those who commit the five sins of immediate retribution, may become Buddhas in this very'life by performing the mantra conduct.'"//9 The Bhagavan's statement is true. It is the belief of the Tathagata that, "One who has previously in this life created fierce karmas, such as the five sins of immediate retribution and so forth, may destroy them with the samadhi of mahSmudra unchanging bliss (once he has entered] this Mantrayana (Bu 329). And so that other 9 [The Sandhivyakarana-ndma-tantra says: “The low castes shall understand quickly; it is easy for flutemakers. Those who commit the sins of immediate retribution are second; they think to strive at killing.// "Sentient beings who created great sin, as well as those whe commit the sins of immediate retribution, should practice in this supreme vehicle of the unsurpassed Mahayana. // "But those who slander the Acdrya will not achieve results even though they practice. /"] The passage Bu ston cites is Sandhivyakarana 5.6b ff. (Peking #83; vol. 3, 238/3/3-4). It is basically a yephrasing of Guhyasamaja §.2-4: pada d in the first verse is Guhyasanaja §.2b; the second verse is Guhyasamaja 5.3ab & 5.2cd; the last line is Guhyasamaja 5.4ab. In the verse given in the Vimalaprabha, pada a is identical to Guhyasamdja 5.2a. (It is interesting to note that Guhyasamaja $.2ab is virtually identical to Hevajra TI.iv,7eab.) Cf, also Hevajra II.1i.19-14.264 uninvited! non-virtues will not enter [later], insert the crossbars of love, compassion, joy, equanimity, and so forth, and the phenomena on the side of enlightenment, into the entrance doors of the four devils and the obstructor- foes in the house of the vajra source of phenomena. +* Then, having accomplished Vajrasattva together with Mahamudra there, even those who [previously] committed the five sins of immediate retribution will obtain the result of Buddhahood in this life." However, it is not the true belief of the Tathagata that, "Even those who create fierce karma such as the five sins of immediate retribution and so forth after having entered the Mantrayana will obtain the result of Buddhahood in this life." [The reason for this is,] here, the Bhagavan's statements in all three vehicles are, “yirtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and 10 «ypinvited" (Sgantuka; glo bur ba) is a pun; it could also be translated as "adventitious." 11 [*pove, compassion, joy, and equanimity” are the four liberations and the four cakras. "The phenomena on the side of enlightenment" are the thirty-seven seed~ SMiiapies of the gods in the mandala; the thirty-seven bises of purification - the aggregates and so forth: and the results - the thirty-seven families, and so forth. ] For the four "devils" (mara; bdud), see Wayman (1959:112~ 125).265 virtuous in the end."!? From this statement of the Bhagavan we know that it is not the precept of the Tathagata that, "Even those who create sinful karma after having entered the Mantrayana will obtain the result of Buddhahood in this life." (U 16) You might say: “Well now, the Bhagavan says that the yogis eat meat in this Mantrayana, And that always occurs due to killing; some beings are destroyed due to killing. If there was no eater, there would also be no killer.13 and here it is the Tathagata's precept that, 'Each day the mantra adept should perform the fourth pledge.'" (D 9a; Bu 330) That is true. For the very reason that (eating meat) that is marked and conjoined with unspeakable sin is killing, the Bhagavan says that yogis should eat beef, dog, and so forth that are without marks and unspeakable sin. Here, the Tathagata says that yogis should eat all those (meats) - beef, dog, and so forth - that the worldly 12 [virtuous in the beginning" is the wisdom that arises from hearing, or the pratimokga vows and so forth. "Virtuous in the middle" is the wisdom that arises from contemplation, or concentration and so forth. "Virtuous in the end" is the wisdom that arises from meditation, or undefiled virtue and so forth.] Cf. NS lic. 13 cf, MadhyamakahrdayakarikS, Peking #5255; vol. 96, 18/5/1 ff.266 people of the particular country do not eat or sell: (meat of those who) died due to their own karma, who were killed in battle due to evil karma or due to their own fault, or that of robbers and so forth (who were executed). (These meats) are not bought with money, and they are not killed for the rites of ancestor worship, etc., and sacrifice, etc. The Tathagata did not say, “Eat meat that is marked Also, that fourth pledge that is to be performed each day should be performed with the five - beef, dog, and so forth - that are without unspeakable sin, and with the five - vairocana and so forth, in pills the size of mustard seeds in order to serve the pledge each day.*4 ‘The conscious [careful] Dharma always speaks of liquor and 14 "Beef, dog, and so forth" (gokvadi; go ku la sogs pa) are the five meats: beef (go; ba glang): dog (ku, d.e., *kukkura; khyi); elephant (da, i.e., *dantin; glang po che); horse (ha, i.e., *haya; rta); and human (na, ive., ‘nara; mi). "Vairocana and so forth" are the five “ambrosias" (ampta; bdud rtsi): vairocana, i.e., feces (vi, d.e., vig: dri chen); ratnasambhava, i.e, blood (ra, i,e., *rakta; khrag); amitabha, i.e., semen (Su, i.e., *Sukra; khu ba); amoghasiddhi, 1.e., flesh (or marrow?) (ma, i.e., *mamea; sha, or ma, i.e *majja; rkang mar); and akgobhya, i.e., urine (mu [or mu?], i.e., *mitram; dri chu). These substances play an important role in the “inner offering" practice in the yogini tantras. (Cf. also Guhyasamaja 6.21-23; 12.41-43; 15.40-44; 15.77-78; etc.) The lists given above are constructed from the following sources: GunabharanT 12b/4 ff.; Snellgrove (1989:1.86 [n. 2]); Wayman, (1977:290-291). However, the Vimalaprabh3's comment on Sri kalacakra IV.127 should be checked; cf. Grénbold (1969:83 [n. 37]).267 women without unspeakable sin for the sake of meditation [on the nonconceptual completion process]. Likewise, the Bhagavan says this in the Basic Tantr Sinners who are difficult to tame kill an innocent sentient being for a god, due to their own fear, for the ancestors, to fulfill a desire, or for sale.//(i) Buying, eating, and desiring the meat of that is conjoined with unspeakable sin. But that which falls in the bowl unasked-for is without unspeakable sin. //(2) It ie best that the meat of a single living being be eaten by many; a single man should not eat the meat of many living beings. //(3) Having generated compassion, one engaged in yoga should eat in reality, with a nonconceptual mind (Bu 931). That is free of unspeakable sin, but not otherwise. //(4) The possessor of the vajra who sees reality always teaches food, drink, and outcaste sexual intercourse in order to destroy attachnent to family. //(5) 1° 15 [(Aannotations:) "Sinners" are the agents. The “innocent sentient being" is the one to be killed. "Their own fear" refers to the meat of one killed in order to guard against human fear. (Verse 2:) “The meat of that” is the thing. (Verse 4) presents how the practice should be performed. (Verse 5) presents the purpose of such eating. "Food" is the five meats and so forth. “Drink” is liquor and so forth. "“Outcaste sexual intercourse" is268 The King of Tantra gives the result of Buddhahood in such 2 fashion to those without precept [if they properly practice eating and so forth]. Buddhahood is omniscience, knowledge of all aspects, knowledge of the path, and the state of being endowed with the qualities of the ten powers, the confidences, and so forth. The one that gives that gives the result of Buddhahood. [The abode is] "in the abode of great bliss." [This has a provisional meaning and a definitive meaning.] The abode of great bliss is the sphere of phenomena. It is beyond worldly examples, is Samantabhadra, the abode of great bliss. "In the Paramadibuddha - the great mandala of the sphere of vajra" means in that great mandala of the sphere of vajra that is without partiality. It is the unified mixture!® of knowledge and objects of knowledge; indivisible and undivided. It has the characteristic of the sphere of all aspects. It is similar to a mirror prognostic.+7 with one's mother and so forth.) 16 exalol3bhita; geig tu ‘dres par gyur pa. Not in Sanskrit lexicons; cf. Newman (1988). 17 gdarSapratisend; me long gi pra phab pa. Not in Sanskrit lexicons; cf. Newman (1988).269 Regarding ‘the one sitting on the vajra lion throne': The vajra lion throne is the mandalas of moon, sun, and fire, indivisible and undivided. or else the letter E- the space element - is the vajra lion throne (D9b). The one sitting on that is the one sitting on the vajra lion throne - the letter VAM that consists of Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis. (U 17) That one sitting on the vajra lion throne (taught the tantra). [the entourage:] Regarding, “He was encircled by a host of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, fury kings, gods, nagas, and male and female deities": The Buddhas are Akgobhya and so forth. The bodhisattvas are Samantabhadra and so forth. The gods are Tévara and so forth. The nagas are Ananta and so forth. The female deities are: vajradhatvigvarl, etc.; Dharmadhatu, etc.; Atinila, ete.; carika, ete.; Gauri, ete.; and Svanasya, etc.t® Their assemblage is the host. The one encircled by that is the one encircled by a host of male and female deities. The one encircled by a host of male and female deities (taught the tantra). 18 Abhayakaragupta describes the Kalacakra mandala in detail in his Nispannayoqavali 3-93; an English synopsis of this is given in Bhattacharyya, B (1949:76~ 86). Abhayadkaragupta also describes the Ka@lacakra mandala, in less detail, in his VajravalT 89-91.270 (The disciples:] Regarding, "The three realns saluted his lotus-feet": The three realms are the desire, form and formless realms. The one whose lotus-feet were saluted by them is the one whose lotus-feet were saluted by the three realms. The one whose lotus-feet were saluted by the three realms (taught the tantra). (The Activity:] Regarding, "he is the cakravartin of the three realms": ‘The one who turns the Wheel of Dharma in the three realms simultaneously is the cakravartin of the three realms. The cakravartin of the three realns (taught the tantra). {The Teache: Regarding, "the Parandibuddha": The Paramadibuddha is the unchanging bliss that is characterized by perfect enlightenment in a single instant, in five aspects, in twenty aspects, and by the net of illusion; it is supreme (paramah; mchog). The one who first (adi; dang por) obtained Buddhahood by that (bliss) is the Paranadibuddha. The Param&dibuddha (taught the tantra) (Bu 993). Regarding, "without partiality": Partiality is the Dharma that consists of wisdom and method - that ie characterized by object and subject. One who has abandoned that partiality is without partiality. The one without partiality (taught the tantra).271 Regarding, "Bhagavan Kalacakra": Bhagavan is conquest (bhaga; bcom pa) due to conquering (bhafijana; beom pa) devils and passions. The assemblage of the qualities of the Omniscient One, sovereignty and so forth, is fortune (bhaga; beom pa). He is the Bhagavan because he possesses that. !9 Time (kala; dus) has the characteristic of supreme unchanging bliss. One whose body is generated as a wheel (cakra; 'khor lo) of unobscured aggregates, elements, and so forth by means of that (bliss) is Kalacakra. 20 Furthermore, (Kalacakra can be explained) by each individual syllable: By the letter KK the cause is pacified. By the letter LA there is indeed absorbtion into this. By the letter CA for the moving mind; by the letter KRA is the process due to binding. //(Vimalaprabha 1.1.98) The process is the flowing of the drops of body and so forth. The one who has bound that with the connate bliss is Kalacakra. The Bhagavan K@lacakra (taught the tantra). Regarding, “requested by Sucandra": Because he is both auspicious and the moon, he is Sucandra - the one who 19 This etymology of bhagavan combines ybhaj and Vbhatj; cf. Whitney (1885:108). See’ also Paranarthasapgraha ($) 3; (T) 106/2/6-106/3/1, and Hevaira Tev.t5 20 cf, vimalaprabha 1.1.99.272 listens to all the Tath@gatas, the stainless light of the vajra moon (NS 109b).24 The master of the Secret is the one who listens to all the Tathagatas because he compiles the Dharmas the Tathagatas expound in the different languages of all sentient beings (D 10a). The secret (guhyam; gsang ba) is the Vajrayana that is superior to the vehicles of the Sra kas and pratyekabuddhas. Because he is the redactor of that he is the master (adhipati; bdag po) - the Master of the Secret (guhyadhipati; gsang ba'i bdag po) .22 Furthermore, externally, in accordance with worldly, phenomenal (truth), the word ‘secret’ indicates goblins (yakgah; gnod sbyin) (Bu 394). Their master is the Master of Goblins (guhyakadhipati; gsang ba‘ béag po).?9 Regarding dwelling in Adakavat!:?4 gxternally the word corpse (adaka; ro) indicates the assemblage of those 21 cf, paramirthasamgraha (S) 1. 22 cf, NS i6ab & 19d. 23 cE. NS 22b; MW 360; Apte 667. 24 agakavatT, or Alakd, located on Mount Kailasa, is the capital of Kubera - the god of wealth, master of the North, and lord cf the Yaksas: cf. MW 11 & 94; Apte 252; BHSD 6 & 67; Kirfel (1920:58). Mhvy 4137 has the standard Tibetan translation lcang lo can, which means_"(the place) having willow leaves.” Nevertheless, Pungarika specifies the meaning "corpse" for adaka (Tib. ro), and thus Agakavati means "(the place) having corpses" (ro_dan) - So also Naro in the Paramarthasamgraha (S) 1. This usage is unattested in the lexicons I have used.273, whose prana is destroyed - the dead. Because it has that, it is AgakavatT - the place of the charnel ground. The great goblins there haress sentient being and create many obstructions for them. The one who slays those (goblins) is the one dwelling in AdakavatT. As (the lion is) master of the beasts in the forest, the one dwelling in Adakavati is the Master of Great Goblins.?5 Internally, "corpse" (adaka; ro) is the cessation of the twenty-one thousand, six hundred exhalations and inhalations, less thirty-six hundred. The one that has that is the Cloud of Dharma stage (the tenth bodhisattva stage). The one dwelling there is the one dwelling in AdakavatT. the slayer of the devils, the passions, and the goblins that obscure objects of knowledge and absorptions is the Master of Goblins. He promotes the Dharma the Tathagata taught by means of the roar of the Dharma Lion and the individual utterances of all sentient beings. The one King Sucandra - the Emanation Body of Vajrapapi- requested for instruction (taught the tantra). 76 (U 18) Regarding, "twelve thousand verse": It is an assemblage of three hundred and eighty-four thousand 25 mahayakgadhipati; gnod sbyin chen po rnams kyi bdag po. Cf. MW 838; Apte 1297. 26 cf. Paramarthasamgraha (S) 1-2.276 syllables. It consists of twelve thousand verses in ubh. ["Anugtubh" is the name of a metre] that consists of thirty-two syliables [because each quarter has eight syllables]. (Thus, the Paramadibuddha has) twelve thousand verses. [Should you wonder why is called the] "paramdibuddha," it is because it expresses the subject- the Paramadibuddha. Since it is the natural topic of the discourse on this subject, it is the Peramadibuddha. Regarding Kalacakra: Since it expresses the subject - Klacakra, it is the Kalacakra discourse. It is “without partiality" because it expresses the subject that is without partiality.27 Here, partiality (anvaya; rigs) is the side of wisdom and the side of method. The Jina says the tantra that is without that partiality because it has abandoned side is nondual (Bu 935): "It is the yogatantra that is without partiality, that consists of wisdom and method. "28 27 without partiality": niranvaya; rigs med. TC also glosses this as ris med; cf. Davidson (1981:30 (n. 91), NS 100b. 28 his passage and the following discussion are sources for the debate as to whether or not the Kalacakra constitutes a third, nondual (advaya; gnyis med) category within the anuttarayoga class of tantras. Compare Rin chen aces pai ide mig 44-45 with Wayman (1968a:268, 260).275 If this King of Tantra whose subject consists of wisdom and method had different sides of wisdom and method, the subject that consists of wisdom and method would be nonexistent. If the subject that consists of wisdom and method was nonexistent, the nondual gnosis would be nonexistent. If the nondual gnosis was nonexistent, Buddhahood would be nonexistent as well. If Buddhahood was nonexistent, there would be samsara. Here, without the relation of discourse and subject, the nondual that consists of wisdom and method [the speech] and yoga [the speaker] would not have the characteristic of speech and speaker in the yogatantra named method (D 10b). And it is not the case that the word yoga speaks the meaning of method or speaks the meaning of wisdom - the word yoga speaks the meaning of wisdom and method. Furthermore, it is said [in the Adibuddha] "Yoga cannot occur due to the body of method, or by wisdom alone. The Tathagatas call the absorbtion of wisdom and method yoga."//29 Thus, a tantra whose subject consists of wisdom and method is ultimately neither a wisdom tantra nor a method tantra. From the point of view of worldly, phenomenal 29 cf, Guhyasamja 18.33.216 (truth), the Tathgata spoke {with intention] of the side of wisdom and method, in accordance with the dispositions of dull sentient beings, He did this from the point of view of the purity of the aggregates and elements, by means of the divisions mirror-like gnosis and so forth (Bu 996). The same is also true for the one named yogini. Here, because it has a yoge?° disposition, it is yogi, and likewise for yogini.°! Thus, from consideration of others, there is yogatantra and yoginitantra.°? Therefore, from the point of view of ultimate truth, Kdlacakra is the yogatantra that consists of wisdom and method - without partiality. “It is embraced by the samgiti that makes evident the Gnosis Body of Vajradhara" because it is the discourse in the Adibuddha. Here, just as past, present, and future Tathagatas spoke, are speaking, and will speak the Namasangiti, just so is the Adibuddha. The word Adi 30 Mss all read yoge Sflam (rnal ‘byor gyi ngang tshul). I suspect yoge represents a neuter nominative dual, with false attribution of gender. at Naro also refers to these two types of tantras as "yogi" and “yogini." Paramarthasangraha (S) 4; (T) 106/5/4: yogiyoginyaditantra; rnal ‘byor pa dang rnal ‘pyor ma la sogs pa'i rgyud. The first type is usually called "nahayoga tantra." 32 [rhe pure aggregates, method, is “yogatantra," and from consideration the pure elements there is wisdom- “yoginitantra."]277 [unborn, unceased] means without beginning or termination.2 since beginningless time beginningless Buddhas have taught it, are teaching it, and will teach it: 4t ie not taught merely by Tathagata DIpapkara and Sakyamuni. Here, Vajrapani said: ‘that which past Buddhas spoke the future ones will also speak. And that which the present perfect Buddhas speak again and again, //(NS 12) “and which great Vajradharas, measureless delighted holders of mantra, rightly sing in this Mayaiala- mahdtantra..."//(NS 13)34 33 see NS 100ab, and cf. Guhyasamaja 18.38. 34 [(annotations:) The Hamasamgiti is virtuous in the beginning, middle, and end. It clearly teaches the connate gnosis. It clearly teaches the nondual gnosis. (NS 12:) "Present" refers to comprehension (of the ‘asapaiti) literally by means of current meditation, Understanding, and so forth. Alternately, it refers to those who heard it and reflected on it before comprehending it by means of the echo-nature. “Will be Spoken" means will be comprehended. (NS 12:) "Rightly Sung" means realized by themselves. “This Maya jala- mahgtantra" has the characteristic of being completely Galightened by means of the net of illusion (mayajala; sgya 'phrul dra ba). And since it is also great, it is Wauhd,’ ie., the gnosis of great bliss, It is a "tantra" because it exists in a continuum, or because it is to be generated "Vajra" (of *Vajradhara") is the proper nature Sf the Gnosis Body. (The Vajradharas) are “measureless” because they are not within the range of thought. They are "delighted," 1.e., their nature is connate joy. “Mantra” is the bliss that consists of the five gnoses.]278 (u 19; Bu 337) Because of this statement requesting the Namasamgiti, we know that ell Tathagatas teach the Mantrayana. Here, it says in the Sam&ja that between Tathagata pipapkara and Sakyamuni no Tathagata whatsoever taught the Mantrayana. That [has the intention,] "at that time, at that period."95 at the time they were teaching the Dharma in the land of the Aryans (North India), they did not teach (the Mantrayana) to the entourage in the land of the Aryans because of the dispositions of those unfortunate sentient beings who had the conceit of the four castes. But it is not the case that they did not teach it at another time, to the cosmic entourage of another land. Because of this statement of the Tathagata we know that all Tathdgatas teach the three vehicles. If it was otherwise, they would not be omniscient, because they would not teach the Vajrayana. Therefore, all Tathagatas teach the three vehicles and teach the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma, in accordance with the dispositions of sentient beings (D ila). Thus, (the Zidipugadha) is embraced by the Ndmasamgiti that makes evident the Gnosis Body of Vajradhara. 38 Guhyasam@ja p. 109, prose following 17.71.279 Regarding, "It makes evident the vajra word in all Kings of Tantr In this Vajrayana the vajra word is hidden in all Kings of Tantra, in accordance with the dispositions of sentient beings (Bu 338). For the Tathagata says, "The Fourth is again like that."9S The Fourth [the unchanging bliss] is not [identical with the bliss of ejaculation - ] the third, because it is called [separately] "the Fourth." Because it says, "is again like that," that very wisdom-gnosis [ - the third - ] is {secretly taught as] the Fourth. Because of this statement of the Bhagavan, we know that the vajre word is hidden. The vajra word is not clear in all Kings of Tantra; it is to be comprehended through the succession of the guru lineage. For the Tathagata said, “Tantra is to be understood by other tantras." In this mantra system the vajra word has two aspects: one is from the point of view of worldly phenomenal (truth), and the second is from the point of view of ultimate (truth). Among these two, the vajra word fron the point of view of worldly phenomenal (truth}97 bestows 36 this is Guhyasamaja 18.113d, which is identical to Hevaira II.ii1.10b. 37 [g.g., "You shall kill living beings," and so forth.] | See Guhyasamaja 16.61, which is virtually identical to Hevajra 11,114.29. Hevajra II.i41.30 demonstrates the allegorical nature of such expressions.280 the achievement of the pledge in the actions killing and so forth. The vajra word from the point of view of ultimate truth bestows the Fourth that is again like that - the result of the mahamudra siddhi. In this Kdibuddha the Bhagavan very clearly elucidates those very [two] vajra words by means of brief accounts, explanations, and further explanations. 9° In order to establish [belief] in that, he elucidated the mal ud meditation - the path of the signs smoke and so forth. For he said (in the Basic Tantra): "Having fixed the mind single-pointedly in the void, one should examine (the signs) for one day." From this statement of the Bhagavan we know that the vajra word, the path of the mahamudra meditation - smoke, etc., is clear in the Haibuddha; but it does not come from [i.e., depend on] the succession of a guru lineage, and it is not a blessing by the command of a guru. (Bu 339) And this (mahdmudr@] path is believed in {if it is meditated] day and night, for the Bhagavan said, One should examine the signs for one day." And here, a yogi should not forsake (meditation on] the signs smoke and so forth, and examine the other practices of the 38 this classification system is presented in SekoddeSa 3-6a; commented on at Paramarthasapgraha 4-5. Cf. Hoffmann (1951:144-145); Shendge (1966:98); Nihom (1984:17-26).zai mantra [deity meditation] and so forth for one dey, [because they are not the fundamental state]. °° Also, there are three types of signs: the sign of the beginning, the sign of the middle, and the sign of the end. The sign of the beginning (is not merely first seeing the sign (rtags), but] is obtainment of the path of smoke and so forth, and obtainment of [one] unchanging moment [etc.] of completion of the divine image‘ by means of the six factor yoga.4! The sign of the middle is cbtainment of the first (bodhisattva) stage by means of eighteen hundred supreme unchanging moments; and obtainment of the five psychic powers, vision of invisible objects, and the worldly siddhis. The sign of the end is Buddhahood - the state of Vajradhara: having obtained the twelfth (bodhisattva) stage by means of twenty-one thousand, six hundred supreme unchanging moments, one obtains the mahamudra siddhi. 39 [The yellow annotations are skyor lung pa's. Ma says: “The other mantra practices, etc., do not have the Signs smoke and so forth."] Note: This annotation indicates that some of the annotations in Bu were written by a scholar or scholars other than Bu ston. skyor lung pa (assuming there was only one lama with this name) was Teong Rha pa's vinaya teacher (Roerich 1949:1075); thus. he must have flourished during the latter half of the 14th century. "Ma" is an abbreviation for "ra dGe ba'i blo Gros's translation of the Vimalaprabha." 40 pbimbanigpatti; sku rdzogs pa. 41 gadaigayoga; sbyor ba yan lag drug.282 (D1ib) The Bhagavan clearly taught this vajra word and so forth, [the path] that is preceded by the signs, in the Paramadibuddha King of Tantra. Thus, the [Kalacakra] Tantra makes evident the vajra word in all Kings of Tantra for those [who, even though they do not completely understand the meaning of the Samaja and so forth,] search in other tantras. (U 20; Bu 340) Regarding, "It opens the jewel box of the Buddhas": The jewel of the Buddhas is the supreme unchanging bliss [ - the connate joy]. The box is the lotus of the vajra gem.4? ‘The King of Tantra that opens that very jewel box of the Buddhas (and shows the method of actualizing it] is the one that opens the jewel box of ‘the Buddhas. Regarding, "It is based on worldly and transcendental truth": Worldly truth, [the path that is] conceptual meditation on the mandala circle, achieves [the result - ] the worldly siddhis by means of the generation process (utpattikrama; bskyed pa'i rim pa). Transcendental truth achieves the mah udr@ siddhi by means of the signs smoke and so forth, the nonconceptual mind of the completion 42 [The followers of Rwa (Chos rab) say that the box is the lotus of the vajra gem. The followers of ‘Bro (Shes rab grags) say that the box is the vajra gem.) MSS support Rwa: vairamanipadmam, ¥or more on the “jewel box of the Buddhas" cf. Hevajra II.ii.36d & IT.iii.4d.283 process (utpannakrama; rdzogs pa'i rim pa). The completion process is connate, nonconceptual: [even though it appears as the divine image of the universe,] in all aspects it is separate from the thoughts face, arm, color, and shape. The one based on these two truths is the one based on worldly and transcendental truth because it shows both paths (i.e., the generation process and the completion process). Regarding, "It is completely purified by the four perfect enlightennents and the four vajras": It is completely purified by the perfect enlightenment in a single moment, by the perfect enlightenment in five aspects, by the perfect enlightenment in twenty aspects, and by the perfect enlightenment of the net of illusion. These completely purified it by means of the generation process - birth in the womb, and by means of the process of completion of the divine image - smoke and so forth. Thus, it is completely purified by the four perfect enlightennents. Regarding, "It elucidates the four Bodies, the six families, the twelve truths, the sixteen realities, the sixteen emptinesses, (Bu 341) the sixteen compassions, the worldly and transcendental initiations, and the path of the siddhis of the karmamudra, jfidnamudra, and mahdmud:264 The four Bodies are: Pure, Dharma, Enjoyment, and Emanation. They possess the characteristics of the fourth, deep sleep, dream, and waking states of those born from wombs. And for Buddhas these are unobscured. The six families are: unchanging bliss - the gnosis element, consciousness - the space element, construction- the wind element, feeling - the fire element, perception - the water element, and form - the earth element. The six families of those born from wombs are obscured; the six families of Buddhas are unobscured. The twelve truths ar ignorance, construction, consciousness, name and form, the six sense spheres, contact, feeling, craving, appropriation, becoming, birth, and old age and death. The twelve truths of those born from wombs are obscured; the twelve truths of Buddhas are unobscured. The twelve truths of those born from wombs are obscured because their vital wind flows through the divisions of the vitality that has twelve transits (D 12a). The twelve truths of the Buddhas are unobscured because they have stopped the twelve factors (of dependent origination) . 43 The sixteen realities are: [the states of joy:] Emanation Body, Emanation Speech, Emanation Mind, 43 cf. NS 192ab, 193a.285 Emanation Gnosis; [the states of supreme joy:] Enjoyment Body, Enjoyment Speech, Enjoyment Mind, Enjoyment Gnosis; [the states of distinct joy:] Dharma Body, Dharma Speech, Dharma Mind, Dharma Gnosis (Bu 342); [the states of connate joy:] Connate Body, Connate Speech, Connate Mind, and Connate Gnosis.44 (v 21) The sixteen realities formed by the divisions joy, supreme joy, distinct joy, and connate joy are obscured for those born from wombs because they release half of a half of the sixteen drops. The sixteen realities of the Buddhas are unobscured because they hold half of a half of the sixteen drops.‘% “The sixteen enptinesses" are the black lunar fortnight, sun [menses], wisdom. "The sixteen compassions" are the white lunar fortnight, moon [semen], method. Emptiness has three divisions: emptiness, great emptiness, and ultimate emptiness.6 with regard to that, emptiness is the emptiness of the five aggregates - five lunar days, being the first lunar day of the black lunar fortnight and so forth, Great emptiness is the emptiness of the five elements - five lunar days, being the sixth 44° cf, NS 133b. 45 cf. NS 145b. 46 cf, Paffcakrama III.4; Pradipodyotana 16; Wayman (1977:18).286 and so forth. Ultimate emptiness is the emptiness of the five faculties - five lunar days, being the eleventh and so forth. Thus, the fifteen lunar days ending on the new moon are the fifteen emptinesses. The sixteenth (emptiness, or digit of the moon,) between the end of the new moon and the entrance of the first lunar day of the white lunar fortnight, is emptiness in all aspects.47 Likewise, there are three types of compassion: compassion objectifying sentient beings, compassion objectifying phenomena, and non-objectifying compassion. #8 With regard to that, compassion objectifying sentient beings is [the five aggregates, i.e.,] five lunar days, being the first lunar day of the white lunar fortnight and so forth. Compassion objectifying phenomena is [the five elements, i.e.,] five lunar days, being the sixth and so forth. Non-objectifying compassion is [the five faculties, i.e.,] five lunar days, being the eleventh and so forth ending on the full moon (Bu 343), The sixteenth compassion [compassion in all aspects] is between the end of the full moon and the entrance of the first lunar day of the black lunar fortnight. The unity of these two [emptinesses and compassions] is the subject that consists 47 of. Davidson (1961:34 [n. 112]); Sneligrove (2989a:80 [n. 1])- 48 of, Madhyamakavatara & -bhasya I.3a~4b.287 of the sixteen emptinesses and the sixteen compassions. (The Adibuddha) expresses that. Regarding, “the worldly and transcendental initiations”: With regard to the worldly initiations there are: (1) [ca] water (udakam; chu); (2) [cha] crown (mukutal cod pan); (3) [ta] ribbon (pattam; dar dpyangs); (4) [tha] vajra and bell (vajraghanta; rdo rje dril bu): (5) [ja] great discipline (mahavratam; brtul zhugs chen po); (6) (nya] name (nama; ming); (7) (nga] authorization (anuj®a@; rjes su gnang ba); (8) [ka] vase (kalaga; bum pa): (9) [Kha] secret (guhyam; gsang ba): and (10) [gal wisdom-gnosis (prajfajfignam; shes rab ye shes). The ten worldly phenomenal initiations for those born from wombs should completely purify their [ka] body; [kha] speech; {ga] mind; [nga] gnosis; [ca] elements; [cha] aggregates; [ja] sense spheres; [nya] action faculties: and [ta] so forth. Regarding the transcendental eleventh initiation: From the precept, "the Fourth is again like that" (GuhyasamBja 18.1134; Hevajra 11.i11.10b), we know that nal dr, whose characteristic is supreme unchanging gnosis, purifies by means of the unobscured nature of the body, speech, and so forth [situated] in the guru's mouth. Regarding, “the siddhis of the karmamudra jfa@namudra, and mahamudré (D 12b) The karmamudra is a288 woman having breasts and hair. The jfidnamudrd is a woman one imagines in one's own mind. The mahdmudra is separate from conceptual thought, it has the nature of a prognostic image. Their siddhis are of three types: The karmamudrd siddhi is conduct in the desire (existence), [the bliss of ejaculation arising from the two sexual organs]. The if@mamudré siddhi has the characteristic of the things of the form existence.49 The maha@mudrd siddhi is separate from existent and nonexistent; it is endowed with the best of all aspects (Bu 344). The Para buddha elucidates the worldly and transcendental paths of these four Bodies and so forth. Stated in such a fashion, (the Adibuddha) consists of five chapters or five investigations: Cosmos, Soul, Initiation, Practice, and Gnosis. It is rightly taught so that [the beneficiaries] all sentient beings, humans and so forth, may obtain true, perfect Buddhahood. "Rightly" (indicates that it was taught) in a [clear] right fashion; it was not (taught) in the fashion of hiding (the meaning) in vajra words. [Should you wonder what persons hold such a tantra: ] “The Tathagata prophesied that Mafijuérf would redact the 49 [vajrapani says moving bliss.] Vajrapani 166/4/1-4.289 Abridged Tantra from this Paramadibuddha. He also prophesied that in the future I would compose a commentary in order to train the brahman sages; that Yanantaka and so forth would teach the tantra; (U 22) and that all the sentient beings dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages in the lands of Sambhala and so forth Would obtain the Mahayana path." The Tathagata prophesied that in the future I, Lokegvara, would compose a commentary on the Abridged Tantra in order to train the thirty-five million brahman sages dwelling in the village of Kalapa.5? He also prophesied that the other twenty-three fury kings and bodhisattvas would use emanation bodies to teach the Abridged Tantra (Bu 345) to all the sentient beings welling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages, and that the sentient beings would obtain the Mahayana path. Regarding the Mahayana path: Mafijuéri gives the vase, secret, and wisdom-gnosis initiations of the vajra family. Those who would obtain that would obtain the 50 [Here in the manuscript this translation is based on (‘gyur stan) the vowel-iengthener (ring cha) is applied to the ka (of Kala@pa), and the vowel-lengthener is not applied to the la; this is corrupt.] Nevertheless, someone has consistently applied the vowel-lengthener (‘a thung) to the ka of Kalapa in Bu, probably as a result of misunderstanding this annotation.290 Mahayana path. These vase, secret, and wisdom-gnosis initiations {inserting the right and left winds into the middle channel] make all the castes (varga; rigs) [the brahmans and co forth, the winds and conceptual thoughts] a single clan (kalkak; rigs). Because he possesses that clan, he is Kalki.5! ‘The definitive meaning of this is, “His lineage (gotram; rigs) is the lineage of Kalki because all mantra adepts are initiated into the vajra family (vajrakulam; rdo rje'i rigs)." thus, (the Buddha) prophesied Mafijuéri yaéas as Kalki, and he prophesied I, Lokeévara, as the second Kalki in this Yagas' lineage (D 13a). Likewise, in the proper sequence, he prophesied Yamantaka and so forth - the ten fury kings, and Kgitigarbha and so forth - the thirteen bodhisattvas. The thirteen bodhisattvas are interspersed among the fury kings, Yamantaka and so forth. (These twenty-three) take up emanation bodies to act as kings of the inhabitants of the nine hundred and sixty million villages. They promote the Tathagata's Dharma to all sentient beings. They destroy the wicked dharmas of the barbarians and so forth. They have the thirty-two marks of great souls. They are fully endowed with the qualities of sovereignty - the five psychic powers and so forth. 51 kalkin; rigs ldan: "possessor of the clan"- chieftain; cf. Newman (1988).291 [Therefore,] it is prophesied in this Param§dibuddha that MaXjuSrI would redact the Abridged Tantra (Bu 946); that I would compose a commentary; and that Yamantake and so forth would teach the Dharma. —_— The Second Brief Account: The Bhagavan's Teaching of the tantra, Having Observed the Subject, the Discourse, their Relation, the Purpose,and the Ultimate Purpose. From the Vimalaprabhd, the Twelve Thousand Line Commentary on the Abridged Kdlacakra King of Tantra, Following the Basic Tantra292 The Third Brief Account: The Relationship Between the Teacher _and the Requestor, and the Basic Tantra and the Abridged Tantra Now here I shall also discuss the relationship between the Teacher and the requestor. One who has not learned the subject and the predicate from the tantra commentary may say: "I am doubtful that in this Vajrayana the Master of Great Gobline dwelling in Agakavat?, the great bodhisattva Vajrapani, requested the Tathagata (for the Basic Tantra) and redacted it. King Sucandra was born from the womb of Vijaya, queen of Siiryaprabha - the master of the villege Kalapa in the land of Sambhala. How could he be the requestor (of the Paral buddha)? Since I have not heard it in any other tantra, and since it is not prophesied in any other tantra, the relation between the Teacher and the requestor is incongruous." Therefore, I should discuss (their relationship). Here indeed, some say that one born from a wonb cannot request the Tathagata (for tantras) in the mantra system. (U 23) This is not so because even the Bhagavan was born from a womb. If one born from a womb could not request the Tathagata (for instruction) and redact (the tantras) in this mantra system, then Sakyamuni, born into the Sakya family from the womb of Mahamaya, queen of the lord of men293 Suddhodana, (Bu 347) could not be the Omniscient Teacher because he was born from a womb. Also, some say: {Although he was born from a w the Buddha] previously conquered Mara and generated enlightenment. Then he became the Omniscient Dharma Teacher. After he passed into complete nirvana, he did not enter into a womb again." This statement is utterly contradictory because something that is not itself established is not a proof for other (theses). Here, if there was not first Buddhahcod [the conquest of Mara] (D 13b), no one among gods, men, and demons could conquer Mara. Also, one does not actualize perfect Buddhahood first, because it is the absence of all obscuration. Also, [the two, Buddhahood and the conquest of Mara] are not actualized simultaneously: "The momen? there is Mara, there is no Buddhahood, because the mind is obscured, The moment there is Buddhahcod, there is no Mara, because the mind is unobscured." How could it be otherwise? Here in the land of karma, except for the Bhagavan Buddha no one born from a woman's womb possesses the thirty-two marks of a great soul, the eighty minor marks, the curl between the eyebrows formed of thirty-two hairs, and the six psychic powers.294 Therefore, the so-called "Mara" is the stain of the propensities of sentient beings' samsaric minds. The so- called "Buddhahood" is the mind that is separate from the samsaric propensities. And similarly, the Bhagavan said in the Prajfi@pdramitd: "The mind that exists is not mind;" it is natural clear light. That very [clear light] is separate from samsaric propensities (Bu 348). Thus, Mdra is the stained mind, and Buddhahood is the mind whose stains have gone. Here, Buddha's external conquest of Mara [a provisional meaning] is a dream-like appearance of sentient beings' own minds. From the ultimate point of view, the Tathagata's heart [separate from the extremes of existence and nonexistence] shall be extensively discussed in the fifth chapter (the Chapter on Gnosis). Here, samsaric beings cannot articulate the Buddhas’ and bodhisattvas' (pure and impure] entering into samsara for the sake of sentient beings. when I, Lokegvara, entered into hell for the sake of sentient beings, Yama's deputies and the King of the Yamas sang a praise to me: “We bow to the Buddhas who, even though they are freed from the fetters of existence, take up existence for the sake of sentient beings. They 1 astasGhasrikd 3; Conze (1973:84)-295 rightly teach that karmic results not being lost over time is the meaning of void. The fire of right gnosis has incinerated the filth of their minds; they are always moist with right mercy. They delight in the aims of sentient beings; they act without speculation."// Thus, foolish people cannot guess the Buddhas' and bodhisattvas' entering into wombs or going to hell towards the aims of sentient beings.” Even a single bodhisattva skilled in the ten perfections, a lord of the tenth stage who has obtained the ten powers, uses many emanation bodies to teach the bodhisattva Dharma to the sentient beings in a 2 [This verse eee ee eee Mahdvajramerusikharakiitagara-dh@rani (Peking #407 & $71), he explanatory tantra for the Vajravidaraps-nama-dharani (Peking #406 & 574). There the bodhisattva Vajragarbha shows miracles that give rise to faith (in sentient beings). Being freed from evil destinies, (the sentient beings) are reborn as gods in the Heaven of the Thirty- three, and they praise the Bhagavan.] ‘The verse BU ston refers to reads as follows: ygang dag srid par ‘khor ba'i srid pa'i skyon las grol/ Jetong pa gun yang las kyi ‘bras bu mi ‘dor zhing/ /ye shes me yis rnyog pa bsregs kyang thugs rjes brlan/ ‘Epyed pa rtag (brtag) med dbang idan de la phyag 'tshal lo/ (Peking #407; vol. 8, 291/2/5-6 = #571; vol. 11, 483/3/1-2). Bu ston's verse is very similar in meaning to that of Pupdarika, but there are considerable differences jn wording. mKhas grub (Tc 425) notes that there are many verses in the sutras and tantras that express the sane idea.296 trichiliocosm who are to be trained by bodhisattvas. That great bodhisattva is not more than one (Bu 949). Likewise, the Bhagavan Buddha has completed his accumulations of merit and gnosis through the power of his former prayer. We has perfected all the qualities of sovereignty - confidence and so forth (D 14a). When the various requestors in the trichiliocosms in a Buddha field use the limitless utterances of limitless sentient beings to request the Dharma, he uses limitless, unobscured, illusory Emanation Bodies to teach the worldly and transcendental Dharma by means of the omniscient language that employs the utterances of all sentient beings. The Omniscient One is not more than one. It is just like some great illusionist who emanates many illusory forms. He uses those enanated forns to uproot trees, and also to shake the mountain tops. (U 24) He uses forms like Sahadeva (ZSvara] and like Vignu to bind Devadatta, and so forth. That great illusionist is not more than one. tikewise, the Buddhas’ and bodhisattvas' illusory Emanation Bodies perform the aims of sentient being in the three existences. Thus, in order to teach the worldly ana transcendental Dharna to all sentient beings, prior [to entering the womb] the Bhagavan Buddha (was already) a lord of the twelfth stage. He was wise; he held the great297 illusion (NS 38a). (Bu 350) He possessed the optical illusion of the great illusion (NS 354). He was born into the Sakya family as Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini in the land of the Aryans, from the womb of Mahamaya,4 queen of the lord of men Suddhodana. Also, Vajrapani, a lord of the tenth stage, was born as Sucandra in the village Kalapa in the land of Sambhala, from the womb of Vijaya, queen of Siryaprabha. Bhagavan Buddha manifested the twelve stages and took birth as Sakyamuni in order to teach the worldly and transcendental Dharma in the Buddha field. The bodhisattva Vajrapani became King Sucandra so that the people to be trained by Sucandra dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages north of the Sita River would obtain the path of true, perfect Buddhahood by means of the ParamZdibuddha King of Tantra. These two, Buddha and bodhisattva, are related as Teacher and requestor by 3 [(NS 95a:) Since it without lust and non-lust, “the great illusion" is the nature of great attachment. Since the ineffable jfanamudra is held to be the essence of that, “he held" it, By knowing the unflowing bliss {inside the nave of the gem, "he was wise." (Bu 950) (NS a8d:) Obtaining the supreme unchanging (bliss/gnosis) that is the cessation of the twenty-one thousand, six hundred winds, he obtained two (bodhisattva) stages in each of the six cakras of the channels. Then returning again from the tip of the gem, he dwelt in the nave of the Uepiga cakra. In thet way, "he possessed the optical illusion of the great illusion. 4 Mahamaya means “great illusion."298 means of Enanation Bodies or Enjoyment Bodies because the subject and predicate are not contradictory. [The requestor] vajrapagi's Emanation Body, King Sucandra, requested [the Teacher] the Tathagata (to teach the tantra) so that [the beneficiaries] all sentient beings might achieve the worldly and transcendental siddhis. Also, [the reason the Teacher] the Tathagata {taught was for the people to be trained]. He saw that the people dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages in the lands of Sambhala and so forth north of the $it@ River had pure minds that were near to good fortune (Bu 951). [Should you wonder how he taught:] Seeing that, he rightly taught the twelve thousand verse Paramadibuddha that does not conceal the vajra word, that elucidates the vajra word. He saw the future complete maturation of [Stryaratha and so forth -] the thirty-five million brahman sages and the people dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages. Seeing that, the Tathagata prophesied that MafijusrT would compose the Abridged Tantra fron this twelve thousand verse King of Tantra; that he would teach the Basic King of Tantra; and that as Kalki yaéas he would make all the castes into a single clan by means of the vajra family initiation (D 14b). He also prophesied myself, Pupdarika, the author of299 this commentary, as the second Kalki. Then he prophesied (the KalkYs) following me, Yamdntaka and so forth. Here, the Bhagavan said (in the Basic Tantra): six hundred years from [this] the first year, waf{jughoga - King Yasas - will appear in the place called Sambhala in order to mature the sages.//(1) His great queen will be Tara; his son will be LokeSvara holding a lotus. He will arise from my Sakya line into your line, Sucandra.//(2) vagmi Yaéas possessing the vajra family will be Kalki by making the four castes into a single clan within the vajra family; not by making them into a brahman family.//(3) If one teaches the Dharma to sages saying "Thus have I heard...," a dispute will occur: "He (Buddha) is not omniscient because he heard it from another."//(4) (Bu 352) One should teach the Dharma in whatever fashion completely matures sentient beings.//(5) A yogi zealously grasps the Dharma through proper words and corrupt words. When one gets the meaning from the local words, what is the use of treatise words?//(6) (U 25) On the earth a jewel is called by different300 nominal distinctions from country to country; there is no difference in the jewel at all.//(7) bike that, various redactors use various different terms for my pure Dharma, in accordance with the dispositions of sentient beings.//(8) Thus, I accept this abridgement of the essential meaning, "Omniscient One," and so forth./(9, two padas) The king of speakers will teach the entire splendid tantra in five chapters having one thousand and thirty verses in sragdharS.//(10) Also, this redactor and the commentator {on that], the bearer of the white lotus (Pundarika), will elucidate the path of the Buddha in this (Kalacakra] tantra for the families of sages and so forth. //(11) (4] Candra, [2] Suregvara, [3] Teji, [4] Somadatta, [5] suregvara, [6] Vigvamirti, [7] Suregana, Yasas, and Pundarika will appear in sequence. //(12) The former king, Siryaprabha, was an emanation of Vighnagatru. You, Sucandra, are (ka] Vajrapani; in sequence will come [kha] Kgitigarbha, [gal Yanantaka,//(13) [nga] Sarvanivaranaviskambh, [ca] Jambaka, [cha] Manaka, [ja] Khagarbha, Mafijughoga, and Lokandtha, in the proper order.//(14)301 Yanri and so forth, the ten furies, and among them the thirteen other bodhisattvas, will appear in sequence in the lineage of Kalkis.//(15) (Bu 353) [1] Kalki yagas will appear, and so will his lineage: [2] KalkI Pundarika, then the third Kalki, Bhadra, likewise the fourth, Vijaya,//(16) [8] Sumitra, [6] Raktapa@pi, and the seventh, Vignugupta, [8] Arkakirti, [9] Subhadra, [10] Samudravijaya, [11] Aja, (D i8a)//(17) Kalki sirya will be the twelfth, [13] Viévartipa, [14] Sagiprabha, [15] Ananta, [16] Mahipala, [17] SrIpala, [18] Hard, [19] Vikrama,//(18) [20] Mahabala, [21] Aniruddha, [22] Narasimha, (23) Maheévara, (U 26) and [24] Kalki anantavijaya. Then again Kalki Yasas//(19) will appear as his son having a great wheel - Kalki Raudra. Vagmi will put an end to the barbarian dharma by means of the paramava samadhi.//(20) The VagmI teacher who will appear for Slryaratha and so forth will redact the Basic Tantra you (will compose), Sucandra.//(21) Here, you yourself, who fully mature sentient beings, will compose a commentary. The holder of the lotus302 himself will compose a commentary on Mafijuvajra's Abridged Tantra. //(22)5 5 por a critical edition of the Sanskrit of this citation from the Paramadibuddha, and a discussion of sone Of the issues it raises, see Reigle (1986). Additional annotations to the Basic Tantra citation: [(Verse 2:) “His great queen will be Tara..."; this accorés with Gyi and rMa (and MSS), ‘Bro says, "Queen Mahatara's..." (Verse 3:) shows the reason for appointing Yaéas as Kalki. ‘wagni” is a synonym for Mafijusri. (Verse 4:) shows the reason for (the Sri Kalacakra) not saying, “Thus have I heard. (Verse 5:) shows that even though it does not say, “Thus have I heard...," these is no incongruity. (Verse 6:) Since one should rely on the meaning, not on the letters, "A yogi. (cf. Vimalaprabha I.1.37-40). (Verse 7:) Gives an example of different words not having different meanings. (Verse 8:) "Like that" example... (Verse 9:) "'Omniscient One,' and so forth," is the introduction (to the Paramadibuddha and the Sri Kalacakra; see Sri_Kalacakra I.1 and the Vimalaprabha's comment thereon). (Verse 10:] "One thousand thirty verses in sragdhara" metre is the measure of the text.] N.B.: ‘One thousand" appears in the text as digéata (phyogs rgya), i.e., "direction hundred." Bu ston has annotated this expression with “stong," i.e., “thousand.” This is an example of the "number symbols” that will be met with frequently later on in this translation: "dig" represents the number ten because there are ten directions. Thus, “direction hundred" represents ten hundreds - a thousand. Another point: Bu translates vrttam as tshigs bead, i.e., “yerse," instead of by sdeb sbyor, "metre" (an exception may be seen at Bu 364 where both translations are used). This agrees with Pundarika's usage of vrttam, which does not appear in the Sanskrit lexicons I used. Verse 12: “candra" is an abbreviation of Sycandra. Sucandra's son and successor, called "[12] suredvara" in this verse, is called Suresa at Sri Kalacakra I.157c. [(Verse 16:) “thirteen other bodhisattvas," i.e., "other" than the two, Mafjusri and Avalokita.] |N.B.: mKhas grub (TC 437) rejects this annotation because it implies that there are twenty-six Kalkis instead of twenty-five, which is mKhas grub's view. Pundarika is an emanation of the bodhisattva AvalokiteSvara (also called Avalokita, Lokanatha, and Lokegvara). Both Yasas and Raudra aze emanations of Mafijuéri (also called Mafjughosa and Mafijuvajra). Thus, if there are thirteen Kalkis who are emanations of303 the Tath3gata prophesied that, in the sequence stated in the Basic Tantra, the bodhisattvas and fury kings would be cakravartins of the nine hundred and sixty million villages, and would teach the mantra system. Because of this precept of the Tathagata, King Sucandra wrote down in a book the twelve thousand verse Basic King of Tantra, as well as a sixty thousand line commentary, using the different languages of Sambhala and so forth (Bu 354). Then he taught it to the residents of the nine hundred and sixty million villages. Those sentient beings who were inclined towards it listened to it, recited it, memorized it, and extensively taught it to podhisattvas other than, these two, then there must be Ceeatycsin Keikis: Yaéas, Pungarika, the thirteen SkSmtions ‘of the other bodhisattvas, and the emanations or*the ton fury kings. The exact number of the Kalkis was Ske Mepject of much dispute anong the Tibetans; for more £28, "Suara end of "The gecond Brief Account"; infra notes tos cikra 't.180-189; Rin-chen gees pa'i Ide mig 59- fo Seats iaeei2, 437-498; and especially Reigle (1906) - Peo soos i7:) For *Aja” (rgyal dka") Rwa says, "na phan pa" {TSD 1768 ma pham pazajita). (Verse 18 Sripala, [18] Hari, [19] Vikrama," Rwa says, Harivikrama." (Verse 19:) “his son" means (Ananta-) vijaya's "son." "Kalki Raudra," an emanation of Mafijusri, ‘will have a great wheel" in his hand.] Verse 20: Vagn]," ae noted above, is one of the many names of nabjugri; it ss also one of the epithets of Brhaspati- cf. NS 50. The Vagmi in verse 20 is Raudra Cakri; the Vagui in verse 21 is Yaéas, ao in verse, 9 above. Both Yacas and Raudra are emanations of Maiijugri. mkhas grub (Tc 437) notes that the paramagva ("supreme horse") samadhi emits many horses. Sadhanamala #261 is entitled Paramaévasadhanam. Verse 21: "The holder of the lotus" is Pundarika. =304 others. In the second year after the teaching of the tantra, (Sucandra) displayed the mandala circle and miracles; then, using an Enjoyment Body he went to the place fron which his Emanation Body had come, as a cause for sentient beings siddhis. Then [Kgitigarbha} suregvara taught the tantra for one hundred years. Likewise, [Yamantaka] Teji, [SarvanivaranavigkambhT] Sonadatta, [Jambaka] Suresvara, {Manaka] vigvamirti, (Khagarbha] Suregana (each taught the tantra for one hundred years). MafjuérI - King Yagas - took birth in the womb of vigvamata, queen of this Suredana - the Bmanation Body of Khagarbha. He taught the Dharma on the bodbisattva's lion throne for one hundred years. Then, after one hundred years were completed, through the power of the blessing of the Tathagata's prophecy he saw that it was time for the complete maturation of the sages. Through the power of his five psychic powers he knew that they would obtain the noble path. King Yaéas, desiring to give them the precept, summoned all [the sages]. To the south of the village of Kalapa there is a sandalwood pleasure grove. It is twelve leagues in breadth, the same as the village of Kalapa. To the east of that (grove) is a miniature Manasa lake, twelve leagues305 in breadth. To the west is a white lotus lake having the same measure (D 15b). The sandalwood pleasure grove is between those two lakes. In the middle of the sandalwood pleasure grove is the mandela circle of Bhagavan Kalacakra made by King Sucandra (Bu 365). It consists of male and female deities fashioned from the five precious things. It is square; four hundred cubits in breadth. To the outside is the Body mandala. It is square, has four entrances, four portals, and is adorned with eight charnel grounds, It is enclosed by five fences. Outside it is adorned with the four discs of earth and so forth, and a row of vajras. ‘The diameter of the row of vajras is eight hundred cubits. The Speech mandala is in the middle of the Body mandala; it is square, and half the measure (of the Body mandala). It has four entrances and is adorned with four portals. It is enclosed by five fences. The Mind mandala is half the size of the Speech mandala. It is square, has four entrances, and is adorned with four portals. (U 27) It is enclosed by three fences. The Gnosis circle is half of that. It is beautified by sixteen pillars. The eight-petalled lotus is half of that. One-third of the lotus is its pericarp.306 Thus, the Body, Speech, and Mind mandalas are endowed with all the characteristics. They are furnished with strings and half-strings of pearls. They possess jewelled tapestries, daises, and bakuli trees. ‘They are illuminated by mirrors, half-moons, and bells. In this mandala house consisting of the three mandalas, on the full moon of Phalguga (February-March), King Yagas gave the precept to the thirty-five million brahman sages headed by Siryaratha: "o Siiryaratha and you other brahman sages, listen to my speech that bestows the excellence of omniscience [if it 4s properly practiced]! 0n this full moon of Caitra (March-April) (next month] I must give the [Vajrayana] doctrine to you who observe the precepts of the Vedas and smytis [of the sages] (Bu 356). Thus, venerable sirs, separate out those brahmans [whose conduct is uncongenial] belonging to the families of various other countries [separate out those belonging to brahman families that abide by the customs of different countries] and show them to me. Because of that statement they scrutinized the practices of the various countries: eating from skulls, eating beef and buffalo flesh, drinking liquor, and incest with one's mother and so forth. When they saw that the307 countries! customs were mutually contradictory, (the sages) all fell down. Thus, seeing their contradictions, King Yaéas spoke: ‘Were, T must lead (you venerable sages] into this mandala house of Bhagavan Kalacakra and give you the worldly and transcendental initiations. Furthermore, you venerable sirs must eat, drink, and form marriage relations with the vajra family, in accordance with my command. But if you will not obey my command, venerable sirs (D 16a), then quit my nine hundred and sixty million villages and go wherever you will! “otherwise, after eight hundred years have elapsed your descendents will take up the barbarian dharma and will become teachers of the barbarian dharma in the ninety-six great lands of Sambhala and so forth. Using the mantra of the barbarian deity *Bismilla@h,® they will hack the throats of beasts with cleaveys.7 Then they will enjoin eating the flesh of those beasts killed with the mantra of their own deity, and will prohibit eating the flesh of those that die due to their own karma. 6 (Ma says, “bi_smin ra ma lha'i."] Arabic: "in the name of Allah." MS B bigavimla; MS N bisavilva (last syllable uncertain); MS D bisavilva (Note: MSS do not distinguish ba and va); Bu bi si mi lla. Cf. Hoffmann (1969:62, 64-65). 7 warttika: gri gug.308 also, that dharma is authoritative for you because of the statement in the smrti: ‘Beasts are created for sacrifice.'® There is no difference between the barbarian dharma and the Vedic dharma with regard to Killing (Bu 381). “therefore, the descendents of your family will see che valo¥ of those barbarians, as well as the manifestation of their devil deity in battle, and in the future, after eight hundred years have elapsed, they will become barbarians. “once they have joined the race of the barbarians, everyone dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages, the four castes and so forth, will also become barbarians. For the brahman sages say: ‘Where the great man goes, that is the path.'? “Were, in the barbarian dharma as well as in the Vedic dharma one must kill for the sake of the deity and the ancestors, and the same is true in the dharma of the kshatriyas. For the brahmans say: ‘Having satisfied the ancestors and the gods, there is no fault in eating 8 ypadhyaya has identified this as Manusmrti 5-39. Bu attaches the annotation "killed" to the ists" in this quotation. I omit it in light of the interpretation put forward by mKhas grub (TC 442), who sees the passage las referring to Brahm's supposed creation of the world. 9 Upadhyaya has identified this as Mahabharata 3.313.117.309 flesh';10 and likewis ‘1 see no fault in one who would do 111 to a vicious (beast). ‘11 (u 28) “Thus, holding the Vedic dharma to be authoritative, they will take up the barbarian dharma. For this reason, so that the barbarian dharma will not enter (my realm) in the future, I give you this precept. Therefore, you venerable sirs must obey my command." Spoken in such a fashion, King Yaéas’ speech, together with its chastising command, was like a lightning-bolt falling on the heads of the brahman sages. They said to Siryaratha: “o Siryaratha! Please inform the lord of men Yagas: ‘We will not abandon the dharma of race (jati; rigs) that is explained in the Veda and engage in the dharma of initiations of the vajra family. Therefore, in accordance with your command, it is best that we go to the land of the Aryans, south of the Sita River and the Himalayas, and north of the island of papka. 112 10 wpadhayaya has identified this as Yajfia. acd 179. 1° ynidentified. 12 phe land of the Aryans" is India. The Sita River is the Tarim River in Eastern Turkistan: see Beal (1884:1.12-13, and s.v.); Laufer (1907:404); Wylie (1962:58). "Himalayas" translates himavata; kha ba can. "The island of Lamka" is modern Sri Lanka.310 (Bu 358) Using the statement of those brahman sages, siryaratha informed the lord of men Yaéas: “O great King! Emperor! Supreme sovereig: You are fully endowed with the components of the thirty-two marks of a great soul and the eighty minor marks! You are the ornament of the splendid Sakya family! (D 16b) 0 supremely compassionate one, have mercy on those engaged in the dharma of their own family! Since by all means we must obey your command, we will not engage in the initiations of the vajra family; it is best that, in accordance with your command, we go to the land of the Aryans south of the Sita River, between the Himalayas and the island of Lamka." Then, because of Slryaratha's speech, King Yagas said: “Venerable sirs, quickly leave the land of Sambhala! In this way all the sentient beings dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages north of the Sita River will completely abandon the non-virtuous karmic paths of killing and so forth. Then, by the blessing of Bhagavan Kalacakra, they will obtain the path of right gnosis." In accordance with King YaSas' command, all those brahman sages left the village of Kalapa. On the tenth day they entered into a forest. Through the power of his five psychic powers, King yaéas knew that they had entered into the forest. (He341 knew) that should the brahman sages go to the land of the Aryans, all the sentient beings dwelling in the nine hundred and sixty million villages would have disastrous thoughts. The kshatriyas and other people would think: “Here, the reason [for their going] is that [the initiations, the two processes, and so forth] spoken of in the Vajrayana are not the path of right gnosis (Bu 359). For this reason those sages have completely abandoned their own place, from fear of the splendid King Yasas. Taking their households, they have gone to the land of the Aryans. ‘They all strive for liberation." Thinking this way they would obtain ill fortune because their minds would become unsuitable vessels for the profound and vast Dharma. Thus, knowing the dispositions of the individual minds of all people, the lord of nen Yaéas became absorbed in the samadhi naned "Stupefier of All the Families of Vignu, Brahma, and Rudra." By means of that samadhi, and by the power of the deity's blessing, all those sages becane stupefied in that forest. Aborigines and so forth dwelling in that forest bound all the sages, brought them back to the great mandala house, and threw them before the feet of the lord of men Yaéas. Awakening, they saw the lord of men Yagas, the mandala house, and the sandalwocd pleasure grove. When312 they saw these things, they were astonished, and said this: “Oh! ‘This is very strange! Who brought us from the great forest to the mandala house while we were unconscious?" King Yaéas' minister Sdgaramati, an emanation body, heard this speech of the brahman sages, and said (D 17a): "Q Siryaratha and you other brahman sages, do not be astonished! This King YaSas is not parochial. (U 29) He is a great, enraged bodhisattva who has appeared due to the blessing of the Buddha in order to take care of you (Bu 360). Therefore, go to his feet for refuge and request initiation into the path that achieves the worldly and transcendental siddhis in the Adibuddhe King of Tantra." Then, due to Sagaramati's speech and the blessing of the Buddha, Siiryaratha and the other brahman sages were awakened, and said this: "Well said! Well said, S@garamati! Your speech has awakened our minds. Therefore, now we will go for refuge to the Three Jewels and request initiation into the path that achieves the worldly and transcendental siddhis in the Kalacakra King of Tantra so that all sentient beings may obtain true, perfect Buddhahood in this very life." Having said that, the sages called to Slryaratha, king of the brahman family: "O Sliryaratha! You are a313 single book that contains the texts of the Vedas and so forth! Your heart grasps that which is to be demonstrated in all the worldly and transcendental treatises! Thus, request King Yagas with our words of request! We too will go for refuge, preceding it with a mandala, and then all of us will request (initiation) !" Then, in accordance with the speech of the brahman sages, Stryaratha made a mandala of flowers formed from jewels and gold, He scattered handfuls of jewelled flowers before the feet of the lord of men Yaéas. Suryaratha and the brahman sages placed their knees on the ground and their hands on top of their heads and bowed to the feet of vadas (Bu 361), Then Siryaratha planted his right kneecap on the earth, set his cupped hands at his forehead, and requested the lord of men Yasas (for instruction): "Please teach the Adibuddha King of Tantra! In it the Bhagavan explained that even those who [formerly] created the five sins of immediate retribution may obtain Buddhahood in this very life [if they engage in (the tantra) and practice it]. He explained that they will obtain the mal udr3 that is governed by the supreme unchanging bliss of Bhagavan Vajradhara. Please redact this twelve thousand verse Adibuddha that the Tathégata taught King Sucandra by making the text shorter, and314 compose a short Adibuddha King of Tantra. Then, please teach it to the brahnan sages. Then, having listened to SUryaratha's request, through the power of the Tathagata's blessing the redactor abridged the tantra in accordance with the inclinations of the brahman sages (D 17b). He taught the King of Tantra using verses in the sragdhard (metre) that summarize (the topics - ) the Omniscient Teacher, and so forth. and! in order to eradicate the clinging to proper words of those proponents of proper words, he relied on the meaning. In some verses there are corrupt words. In some verses the caesuras are lacking. Some have words without case endings. In some letters and vowels are elided (BHSG 2). In some verses long vowels are short, and short vowels are long (BHSG 3 & 1.10). In some the locative case is used for the ablative case (BHSG 7.82), and the genitive case is used for the dative case (BHSG 7.63). In some a middle voice is attributed to a root that possesses an active voice (BHSG 37.22 ff.) (Bu 362), ‘and an active voice is attributed to one that possesses a middle voice (BHS¢ 97.10 ££,). In some the plural number is used for the singular number, and the singular number is used for the plural number (cf. BHSG 25.4, etc ‘The 13 por a study of the remainder of this "Brief Account" see: Newman (1988).318 neuter gender is used for the masculine gender and the masculine gender is used for the neuter (BHSG 6.1 & 1.10). In some the dental (sa) and the cerebral (sa) are used for the palatal letter ga; in some the dental and the palatal are used for the cerebral; in some the palatal and the cerebral are used for the dental (BHSG 2.56 ff.). There are also other such things that must be understood in conformity with the oral instructions of the tantra teacher. Likewise, the Bhagavan said in the Basic Tantra Sucanéra, disciples should constantly offer desired things - wives, daughters, and beloved sons - to all ‘the Buddhas and gurus.//(1) odor arises from earth, form from water, taste from fire, tactile from wind, sound from the unchanging, the ephere of phenomena from the great sky.//(2) (v 30) Having constantly worshipped the mudra with perfumes, incense, lamps, and so forth, and food, drink, clothing, and so forth, the noble son gives her to the guru.//(3) ‘A yogi should comprehend corrupt words such as these, and others, too, by reading the texts. Likewise, I must write this commentary relying on the meaning in order to eradicate conceit in proper words. Thus, Buddhas and bodhisattvas teach the Dharma for the sake of liberation.316 Relying on the meaning, they use the different vernaculars and the different languages of the grammatical treatises, whichever eliminate conceit in family, learning, and proper words. —_— The Third Brief Account: The Relationship Between the teacher and the Requestor, and the Basic Tantra and the Abridged Tantra. (Bu 363) From the Vimalaprabha, the Twelve Thousand Line Commentary on the Abridged Kalacakra King of Tantra, Following the Basic Tantra.317 The Fourth Brief Account: Establishing the Teacher and the Requestor of the King of Tantra by means of “The Omniscient One," and so forth Now I shali explicate the Abridged King of Tantra through the relation of MafijugrI's emanation - the lord of men Yagas - and Siiryaratha being teacher and requestor, and so forth. (D 18a) Here, Siryaratha requested the lord of men yagas for instruction. Yasas sat on the great jewelled lion throne in the great precious gem pavilion near the eastern entrance to the mandala house of the great Sri Kalacakra. The god, demon, and naga emanation bodies engendered in the ninety-six great royal families, all bound with great jewelled diadems, each a master of ten million villages, saluted his lotus feet. Yadas was the Image of the wisdom of all the Tathagatas.! He said this to Siryaratha: “Slryaratha, your desire and effort to listen to the Paramadibuddha King of Tantra, the noble being,? so that [the beneficiaries] the families 1 [ (annotation: “Yyagas" specifies his name “siryaratha" specifies the requestor. “The pavilion" specifies the place. "The god, demon, and naga emanation bodies" specifies the entourage. His being "the Image of the wisdom of all the Tathagatas" specifies his nature. ] 2 sadbhava; dam pa'i dngos po.318 of brahman sages and so forth, all sentient beings, may obtain the path of true, perfect Buddhahood, is excellent, it is very excellent, Since it is excellent, I shall teach you everything you inquired about: [that to be taught - ] the Parama@dibuddha King of Tantra, the noble being, the one that achieves tne worldly and transcendental siddhis, the vajrayoga of Kalacakra. (Bu 364) "I, the redactor, King Yagas, will redact (the Abridged Tantra) through the power of the blessing of the Tathagata. I will do this by relating the true, perfect Buddha and Sucandra as Teacher and requestor [without incongruity]. I will do this using the sragdhara metre. Listen with a single-pointed mind to the Abridged Tantra that was prophesied before, that will be extracted from the great [Basic] King of Tantra, to the noble being, the yoga that consists of wisdom and method."9 Then, [the specific of the teacher - ] Bhagavan Mafjugri's emanation body, the lord of men Yaéas, spoke the first verse that summarizes (the natural topics of) the Teacher and so forth, that the Tathagata had prophesied in (the Basic Tantra - ] the Paramadibuddha. 3 [cast away the three or six faults (of listening), and “listen. "]In Sanskrit: Paramadibuddhodd! tantrardja. In Tibetan: mChog gi dang po'i sangs ragyas las phyung ba rgyud kyi rayal po dpal dus kyi 'khor lo zhes bya ba. In English: The King of Tantra Named "The Splendid wheel of Time," Extracted from the Supreme Primal Buddha. The First Chapter: The Arrangement of the Cosmos Homage to Sri Kalacakra! SeI_Kalacakra 1.2 The Omniscient One, the Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals, the Buddha sitting on the lion throne, was saluted by the best of gods. King Sucandra bowed his head, and placing the cupped lotuses of his hands on top of his head, he asked for the yoga in the Sri_Kalacakra~ the A collection that possesses the KA line - for the liberation of humanity.//¢ 4 [(Aannotations:) “The Omniscient One" etc. shows the first topic; "the lion throne" shows the second topic; “best of gods" shows the third topic; "King Sucandra” shows the fourth topic; "yoga" etc. shows the fifth topic.] The natural topics are listed above in "The Second Brief Account." The expression kaliyugasamaye (ka phreng Idan pa'i a ‘dus la) in pada d, which I have translated as "the A collection that possesses the KA line," is an example of intentional language (samdhyabhaga; dgongs pa'i skad). It will be explained320 (U 31; D 19b) Here in the King of Tantra, the Bhagavan (MaijuSri YaSas) proclaimed this first verse in order to summarize the Teacher and so forth. Here, ‘the Teacher and so forth' are the Teacher, the place, the great entourage, the requestor, the Dharma teaching, the purpose, and the ultimate purpose. (Bu 365) The first of these is the summary of the Teacher. The Bhagavan summarized (the tepic of) the Teacher with the twenty-three syllables, “The Omniscient one, the Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, the Bye of Spreading Lotus Petals, the Buddha." With the five syllables, “sitting on the lion throne," he summarized the place. With the seven syllables, "was saluted by the best of gods," he summarized the great entourage. With the twenty-eight syllables, "King Sucanéra bowed his head, and placing the cupped lotuses of his hands on top of his head, he asked," he summarized the requestor, With the fourteen syllables, "for the yoga in the Sri Kalacakra, the A collection that possesses the KA line," he summarized the Dharma teaching. With the seven syllables, below in "The Fifth Brief Account."921 “gor the liberation of humanity," he summarized the purpose and the ultimate purpose. Thus, Bhagavan Mafijusri, prophesied by the Tathagata, used these eighty-four syllables to extract and summarize in the proper sequence the Teacher, the place, the great entourage, the requestor, the Dharma teaching, the purpose, and the ultimate purpose, from the Basic King of ant: Someone who relies on terms and letters will say here: "Is it not the case that in all Kings of Tantra the Tathagata specifies Bhagavan Vajradhara's dwelling place by saying ‘Thus have I heard,' and so forth? How is it that the Bhagavan Buddha rightly taught this King of Tantra saying 'The Omniscient One,' and so forth, without saying ‘Thus have I,' and so forth? (Bu 366) Since it does not specify the dwelling place with ‘Thus have I,' and so forth, the Bhagavan Buddha did not teach this King of Tantra." 5 he numbers of syllables, of course, refers to the Sanskrit text. It is amazing to find that the Tibetan translation matches the Sanskrit syllable for syllable in each topic! 6 he formula evan maya érutam ekasmin samaye, "Thus have I heard, at one time...," is prescribed for the beginning of all recitations or redactions of puddhavacana; cf. Lamotte (1983:6).322 (p 20a) Therefore, I shall discuss this. Here, in the future foolish people who rely on letters and terms will say that in all Kings of Tantra the Tathagata specifies Bhagavan Vajradhara's dwelling place by saying “thus have I heard," and so forth. This is not the case because the Dharma Teacher relies on the meaning, and also because the redactors redact the Dharma using various different vernaculars. Here, if the Tathagata taught the Dharma by means of “thus have I heard," and so forth, a parochial? statement in Sanskrit produced by the effort of the throat, palate, and so forth, then the Tathagata would not be able to teach the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma many times, and the redactors would not be able to write them down many times, because “Thus have I heard" is a single parochial statement in Sanskrit. Here, since there would not be limitless Zmanation Bodies, the Tathagata could not teach the Dharma using the utterances of limitless sentient beings simultaneously in limitless cosmoses. Since there would be no teaching of the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma, there would be no omniscient one. And such is not the case. 1 pradegika: nyi tshe ba. The Sanskrit term means "provincial"; the Tibetan literally means “living for a day," i.e., ephemeral.223 Here, since the Tathagata said the Buddha is measureless, the Dharma is measureless, and the Sangha is measureless, there is not just one Omniscient Teacher.® (Bu 367) There is not just one omniscient language that demonstrates the meaning using the utterances of all sentient beings. There is not just one specification of the dwelling place. The Tathagata's requestors are not the Sravaka Sangha alone, but here, in accordance with the various inclinations of sentient beings, there are many Omniscient Ones, many omniscient languages, many dwelling places, many requestors, and many Dharma teachings. Therefore, the Tathagata does not teach all tantras saying “Thus have I heard" and so forth, using only the language of the gods (Sanskrit) that is produced by the effort of the throat, palate, and so forth. Here, first he taught the Dharma of the Sravaka system, the Tripitaka and so forth, using the language of Magadha. Like this: “ityapi sau bhagava sammsambuddho 8 [Rwa says, "the Buddha is not authoritative" ({shad_ma ma yin pa; sic!), and so forth.]324 vijijScaranasempannah_sugato lokavidi anuttaro."9 He taught the Dharma using this and other statements. Likewise, he taught the Dharma using the language of ten million villages in the land of Campaka, north of the Sita River, Like this: "akarsulh gpuk_gaganku_jinmak vijirithyS dudurBpaka." He taught the Dharma using this and other statements. (U 32) Likewise, he taught the Dharma using the language of ten million villages in the land of Suramma, north of Rukma.!® Like this: “akamayasata valadadattavirata manika akutavaradata jigitivaradat." (D 20b) He taught the Dharma using this and other statesents. Thus, since the Tathagata taught the three vehicles using the local languages of many countries, (Bu 368) they were not taught solely using the Sanskrit language, by “[hus have I heard" and so forth. 9 ['ai itar yang de ni bcom Idan ‘das yang dag par rdzogs pa'i sangs rgyas rig pa dang zhabs su ldan pa/ bde bar gshegs pa 'jig rten rig pa bla na med pa/] "Thus, he is the Bhagavan, the true, perfect Buddha, the one perfected in knowledge and conduct, the Sugata, the knower of the world, the unexcelled." The above passage and the two following passages are edited based on MSS and Bu, all of which are more or less corrupt. The preceding passage is very close to Pali. 10 [gold]. Bu reads ru ma ka pa for rukma; Bu is corrupt. mKhas grub (TC 456) says: "Suranna is *Suprabha (‘0a bzang)." For more on Rukna and Suranma (or Suranna) see below.328 Thus, even among the Kings of Tantra the reactors wrote in the Sanskrit language, some specify the dwelling place with "Thus have I heard" and so forth, and some do not. First, many Kings of Tantra such as the twenty-five thousand line Sri samaja, the sixteen thousand line M3yajala, and so forth, specify the dwelling place with “Thus have I heard" and so forth. Some do not. Pirst, the twelve thousand verse Paramadibuddha, the thirty-six thousand line Yoganuviddha, and the Mahalaksabhidhana do not. and the same is true for many other Kings of Tantra as well. Just as it is in the basic tantras, so it is in the abridged tantras that are extracted from them. Some teach {the dwelling place) with "Thus have I heard," and some do not. Here, the Bhagavén specified the dwelling place in the $ri_samaja: "Thus have I heard, at one time the Bhagavan dwelt in the vulvas of the vajra ladies, the Body, Speech, and Mind of all Tathagatas."11 (Bu 369) 11 he Sanskrit reads: evam_maya Srutam_ekasmin samaye bhagavan sarvatathagatakayavakeitt vajrayogidbhagesu vijahara. Pundarika, like Vajragarbha in the following annotations, omits the hrdaya that normally follows citta in the introductory line of the Sri Guhyasamaja. Cf. Guhyasamaja p. 4, and Hevajra I.i.1. mkhas grub (TC 482-483) explains that in the Bodhisattva Corpus hrdaya is considered to be implicit in kayavakcitta. [Vajragarbha say: “gvay" ("Thus") from the point of326 Likewise, he specified the dwelling place in the Mayajala with "Thus have I hear@" and so forth. 1? Likewise, he specified the dwelling place in other basic tantras and abridged Kings of Tantra as well. Here, the Bhagavan said in the Parangdibuddha: ‘The Omniscient one, the Gnosis Body, the imperishable Body of the Sun, the Splendid Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals, the Buddha sitting on the lion throne;//(1) view of the definitive meaning is the Teacher Vajrasattva in the great bliss that is indivisible emptiness and compassion. "I" means by myself. "Heard" means realized- “at one time" means a single moment of highest enlightenment. "Bhagavan" means that great bliss itself. “Dwelt" means the divisions of the going and coming of prapa. By means of the divisions from the first quality through the fifth, it abides by means of the three qualities in the mandalas from the crown of the head through the navel, in the vulva or the secret vajra, and in the nave of the lotus and in the vajra gem. By means of the divisions joy and so forth there is the forward procedure of the coursing of the bodhicitta. (Bu 369) With regards to the reverse procedure, the reversal eradicates the objects from the vajra gem through the Secret place, then it moves from the navel through the crown of the head, It makes the aggregates, elements, and so forth without obscuration by means of the divisions concordant cause and so forth. “Vulvas" means the elements (khams) that are the material elements ('byung ba) - space and so forth. "Vajra ladies" means objective phenomena. "The Body, Speech, and Mind" means the functions of body, speech, and mind. “Of all Tathagatas" means the collection of the five aggregates.] | This annotation is a paraphrase of Vajragarbha 8/4/1-8, Vajragarbha's comment on Hevajra I.i.1. 12 yaya jala-mahStantrara@ja-ndma, Peking #102; vol. 4, 197/8/4=186/1/2.327 The self of Body, Speech, Mind, and Passion, Vajrasattva, the Superior Deity, in the mandala of Body, Speech, and Mind by means of Body, Speech, Mind, and Passion. //(2) This indivisible vajrayoga is Kalacakra, the unchanging bliss, the beginningless, endless Buddha, the Adibuddha without partiality.//(3) In all ways it is vajra good fortune, in all ways the binding of the universe; it is the true aim in twelve aspects and holds reality in sixteen aspects.//(4) With this and other statements he specified the dwelling place in the Paramadibuddha. +9 (Bu 370) Likewise, the Bhagavan said in the thirty- six thousand line Yoganuviddha: 13 verse 1 is virtually identical to *Sxi. nama-tantragarbha 1, Peking #6; vol. 1, 181/3/) Verse Bcd=NS 100ab; verse 4c=NS 133a; verse 4d cf. NS 133b. Verse 1 is the Paramadibuddha source for Sri Kalacakra I.lab. See also note 18 below. [(Annotations to 3b ff.:) Since he has realized all existents as equivalent, he is "Buddha." The sphere of phenomena is naturally without "beginning" - origination, and "end" - cessation. The beginningless, endless bliss characterized by highest enlightenment in a single moment, in five aspects, in twenty aspects, and by means of the net of illusion is "the Adibuddha." Since it is devoid of the two sides of method and wisdom, and object and subject, it is "without partiality." (Verse Since it is indivisible "in all ways," it is “vajra." Since it possesses the six special fortunes - sovereignty, beauty, and,so forth - it is “good fortune." "The universe" (vigva; sna tshogs) is the aggregates, elements, sense spheres, and so forth. "Binding" is becoming a single taste in supreme unchanging bliss.]328 This single superior deity, who dwells in the lotus of Vajragakini, abides in the self of the three existences by means of a connate joyous form.//14 (D aia) With this and other statements he specified the dwelling place in the Yoganuviddha. Likewise, the Bhagavan said in the Lakebhidhana: (U 33) The sentient being composed of all procuresses - Vajrasattva, the great bliss - dwells in the mystery of all procuresses, in the self of all sentient beings. //35 14 the Yoqanuviddha is a Yamantaka mUlatantra. [Since the place - emptiness, is not divided by conceptual thought, it is "Vajra." The nature cf the thirty-seven (phenonena) on the side of enlightenment - the aggregates, elements, and sense spheres separate from obscuration— that which is equal with space, is "the lotus of the ini" - the void in all aspects. The "superior deity" is the void and all things having become a single taste "Form" means own-being. ] 15 he LakeSbhidhSna is the Samvara mulatantra. For the following annotations see: (1) Vajrapani 145/2/2; (2) Tantrard ja-sri-Jaghusanvara-nama T.2b-3b, Peking #16; vol. 2, 26/5/2; and (3) Vajrapani 147/5/3-148/1/2. { (Annotation: “The sentient being" is the characteristic of the three realms, the Dharma Body. "composed of all" means being the thirty-seven phenomena on the side of enlightenment. "Procuresses" are dakinis. “Vajra" is the Dharma Body, emptiness, and wisdon. “gattva" is the Connate Body, compassion, and method. ‘The unity of these is Vajrasattva, "the great bliss," the supreme unchanging bliss. It “dwells in the mystery of all procuresses," in the sphere of emptiness. Procuresses are dakinis; they are the aggregates, elements, sense spheres, and the abandonment of obscuration - they are equal with space. The Connate Body dwells permanently,329 With these and other statements he specified the dwelling place, and this should be understood from the guru's oral instructions. Likewise, regarding the requestor, it says in the Sri Sam3ja: “Then Vajrapapi, blessed by the Bhagavan Vajradhara, made this respectful entreaty: ‘May the Bhagavan teach the great King of Tantra, the unexcelled of all tantras, the splendid assembly (Sri_Sam&ja) of all Buddhas, the discourse of all Buddhas!'"1 With this and other statements Vajrapani requested (the Guhyasama ja). (gu 371) Similarly, it is well known from the Namasangiti that Vajrapapi requested the Mayajala.17 Here, regarding the requestor of the Paranadibuddha, at says: In order to banish the passions of sentient beings, the Bhagavan impelled (Sucandra). He worshipped the separate from production and destruction, “in the self of all sentient beings" - all who perceive phenomena. ] 16 this passage does not appear in the received text of the Guhyasanaja. On the contrary, at Guhyasanaja 1-3 Qll the Tathagatas request Bhagavan Bodhicittavajra to teach the tantra. I suspect this passage is supposed to be drawn from the twenty-five thousand line mulatantra (mentioned above) rather than the eighteen hundred line laghutantra that has come down to us. Cf, Newman (i987:98, 101 (n. 27]); Paramarthasangraha (S) 5. 17 See NS 1-16; also MaySjala-mahStantra-nama Peking #102; vol. 4, 198/1/2-6.330 Teacher's twin lotus feet with body, speech, and mind combined. //(1) He worshipped with jewelled flowers. Again, with joined hands full of flowers, he bowed his head with both knees planted on the ground.//(2) Then, placing his right kneecap on the ground, he set his cupped hands at his forehead, and the King requested (the tantra:)//(3) “May the Teacher clearly teach all these, without exception, as they are: the unexcelled of all tantras, the Adibuddha that is always characterized as the totality of all siddhis://(4) phe yoga in this Sr¥ Kalacakra - in the one well- endowed with Ali-kali; the highest perfect enlightenment in a single moment, divided into four moments. //(5) "It holds the four drops; it is reality differentiated by the sixteen divisions. It is void, gnosis, drop, best; it is Vajradhara, the Great one. //(6) "Zt is the five syllable great void, the six syllable @rop void. It is Buddhas, gods, and demons, in the outer, body, and Other as well.//(7) "Likewise, teach the Other soul - the twenty-fifth, in the natures; the measurements of the universe in331 the body; the cause of the origination of the three worlds; //(8) "And the enjoyments of gods and demons."/(9ab) 18 (U 94) With this and other statements King Sucandra requested the Paramadibuddha.19 (Bu 372) Likewise, viévaripini said in the Yognuviddha Sri vigvartpini bowed to Vajrabhairava and asked, “What is the YogSnuviddha-tantra, the supreme bliss of Vajrasattva?"//20 With this and other statements she requested the Yoganuviddha. Likewise, VajravarahI said in the Lak: Abhidhana: Vajravarahi saluted Heruka, who consists of the three existences, and asked, “What is the Lakeabhidhina- 18 these nine and ong-half verses form part of the Paramadibuddha source for Sri Kalacakra I.1-2, which will be treated below. Compare verses 2,9, and 5 with Sri Kalacakra 1.1. Also, compare verses 6-9b with Sri Kalacakra 1.2. This provides a vivid illustration of how the subject matter of a milatantra could be condensed into the text of a laghutantra. (For verse 7ab cf. NS 144cd.) 19 vor more on Sucandra's request of the ibuddha, see Paramarthasangraha (S) 1-4. Parat 20 [Regarding the requestor, “Sri” is the one that experiences nondual gnosis; "she has the form of the Gniverse" (vievariipini) - emptiness. Regarding the Teacher, "bhairava" has destroyed the vicious conceptual Thoughts by making the winds, the indestructible aggregates, and so forth, great bliss within the avadhutT - the "Vajra." The Dharma is "the YogSnuviddha-tantra.")332 tantra, the supreme bliss of Vajrasattva?"//21 (D 21b) With this and other statements she requested the In a similar fashion, a yogi should understand the requestors in other Kings of Tantra. Since the Bhagavan teaches limitless Dharmas, Buddhists should not say, “He specified the dwelling place in all Kings of Tantra by means of 'Thus have I heard’ and so forth."2? If he did not use the omniscient language having the nature of the utterances of all sentient beings, if he used only this 21 The following annotations are drawn from Vajrapani 145/4/2-3 & 147/1/6-7. For another, similar analysis of heruka, see Hevajra I.vii.27. (Regarding the Teacher, “the three existences" are the desire, form, and formless (existences, or realms); or else internally they are the lalana, rasana, and madhyama that have become indivisible EB" indicates he has abandoned the cause (*hetu): the karma~ and jfana-mudras. "RU" indicates he is separate from the characteristic of form (*rUipa). "KA" indicates he has abandoned the actions of the eyes and so forth, which is the characteristic of nonobjectifying compassion (*karuna). The fourth, Connate Body is “Vajrasattva." "The supreme bliss" is the supreme unchanging bliss.] 22 The following annotation is Vajrapani 146/4/4-6. (Vajrapani says: Buddhists should not say, “Those that have ‘Thus have I heard' and so forth are the tantras the Bhagavan taught; those that do not are not." Here in the mantra system, perceiving fault in an unknown Dharma breaks a fundamental vow. It is said: "Those who are conceited in their learning go to avici hell a result of breaking fundamental vows and so forth."]393 parochial Sanckrit speech, then the Buddha would be parochial as well. (pa 973) Here in the lend of the Aryans, foolish Buddhists see the arrogance of the scholarly heterodox proponents of proper words, and cone to believe: “Just as the chosen deities of the brahmans, Vaignavas, Saivas, and so forth - Brahma, Hari, Hara, and so forth - speak Sanskrit, so too our chosen deities, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, speak Sanskrit."2° Here, these Buddhas and bodhisattvas do not teach and redact the Dharma using the utterances of all sentient beings solely by means of this parochial Sanskrit speech, without using the omniscient language. Therefore, Buddhas and bodhisattves do not use a parochial language that is entangled with birth as a god, because they teach the Dharma using the utterances of various sentient beings. In this mantra system EVAM is not a term; there are many terms for even a single existent. And since there are many terms, no single term is chief because all terms demonstrate a single existent. For example, among woman, female, young lady, and so forth, woman is not the chief term because all of these demonstrate an existent that possesses breasts and hair. 23 wari (Khyab 'jug = Vignu) and Hara (Drag po Rudra) are common names for Vignu and Siva.334 Like that, among the terms E-letter, mystery {rahasya}, lotus, source of phenomena, space elenent, abode of great bliss, lion throne, vulva, and secret [guhyal, E-letter alone is not the chief term because all of these demonstrate the emptiness of all aspects. (Bu 974) Similarly, among the terms vay-letter, great bliss, great passion, connate, supreme unchanging, drop, reality, gnosis, and pure mind, VAN-letter alone is not the chief term because all of these demonstrate mahSmudri connate joy, unchanging bliss. Likewise, the two letters E and VAM demonstrate the existent that is bodhicitta: indivisible emptiness possessing the best of all aspects and compassion that does not objectify any phenomena. (D 22a) For this reason, a yogi should understand the nondual yoga that consists of wisdom and method without partiality by means of these and many other terms: the letter EVAY, Vajrasattva, bodhicitta, Kdlacakra, Adibuddha, the one consisting of wisdom and method, yoga, the one consisting of knowledge and objects of knowledge, nondual, without beginning and end, peaceful, Sanja, Sambara. Here, in the Sanja and other Kings of Tantra the Bhagavan specified the letter E and the letter VAY at the beginning of the tantra by means of an etymology. Also, the redactors wrote it at the beginning of the tantra.935 This was done in order to mature the gods by means of the utterances of the gods. Therefore, do not assert the elision of these two syllables in the Sam&ja and other Kings of Tantra. (U 36) It is not the case that the Bhagavan did not teach these two syllables with his palate and so forth, and it is also not the case that the redactors wrote them down without hearing them. Therefore, I shall explain the definitive meaning of these two syllables. First, [in the Other] is the letter A/{in the Outer] the space element/{in the Inner] the secret lotus (Bu 375). Following that is the [other] visarga/[in the outer] the sun/[in the Inner] menses. Following that is the [Other] letter A/[in the Outer] Rahu/[in the Inner] the consciousness blessed by bliss. Following that is the [Other] anusvara/[in the outer] the moon/[in the Inner} semen. (Then) visarga/sun/menses between the two letters A- the space element and R&hu/conscicusness - obtains u~ ness. Then, when visarga/sun/nenses has obtained u-ness, within ultimate truth it is without quality. 74 24 gunabhava; yon tan med. [This teaches: "The a and the u of the grammar tradition become 9; and here the fetter A void is without quality in ultimate truth, Thus, jn order to symbolize that, it does not become the guna 2")a36 Since it is without quality [in ultimate truth, in order to symbolize the latter letter Va - phenomenal great bliss - ] it becomes a semi-vowel (i.e., v)- Together with the latter letter a/Rahu/consciousness, (the v) is VA itself. It is conjoined with anusvara/moon/semen; therefore it is the letter VAM. Likewise, the former letter A/space elenent/secret lotus has a lecative termination (i.e, changes to i).6 The letter A together with the further letter I become endowed with guna. Therefore, it is the letter 2.26 You should understand that the letter VAY - the based that consists of visarga, the letter A, anusvara, sun, Rahu, moon, menses, Alayavijfidna, and semen - is in the middle of this letter E/space element - the base - in the outer, body, and other as well. Here, the Bhagavan said in the Basic Tantra: In the middle of the letter E space element, the bliss of all the Buddhas is taken (Slaya; len). (Bu 28 [rt has a locative singular "termination" so that it will symbolize the basis of great bliss.] 26 (previously, in order to symbolize it as ultimate truth, the letter A’was without guna. In order to show that even that ultimate is indivisible from the phenomenal, it becomes endowed with guna ("quality") .] The preceding is obviously unintelligible for those who do not know the rudiments of Sanskrit granmar, but for those who do, the grammatical process can be schenatized as follows: AJAM...AUAM...AYAM...AVAM.. .IVAM. . .EVAM.337 376) This VAM-letter Vajrasattva, because of the yoga of Body, Speech, and Mind,//(1)27 Is called Body, drop, moon, semen; Speech, visarga, menses, sun; Mind, letter A, shadow (tami; mun can). It is situated in E, the space element.//(2) Zt stays in the mandala of Body, Speech, and Mind through the yoga of Body, Speech, and Mind. It stays in the self of the three existences through Body, Speech, Mind, and Passion. //(3) The Tathdgata specified the dwelling place by means of “hus have I heard" and so forth in the Samaja and other Kings of Tantra (D 22b) in order to fully mature the gods, and so that they would obtain true, perfect Buddhahood as a result. The Tathagata taught that very being that is expressed in the Sri sdmaja and so forth by means of this term “EVAY," by means of "mystery" and so forth in the Lakg@bhidhdna and other Kings of Tantra. And it should be understood from the guru's oral instructions by means of the different intentional language used in the various tantras. 27 alternate translation of the Sanskrit: "The letter VAM in the middle of the letter £ is the abode (Glaya) of the bliss of all Buddhas. This Vajrasattva in the space element, because of the yoga of Body, Speech, and Mind..."338 Here, the Bhagavan said in the Basic Tantra Tantra is characterized by the six alternatives: intentional language and that which is not; literal utterance and that which is not; provisional meaning and definitive meaning. //?® Because of this statement of the Bhagavan, a single term is not chief. (Bu 377) Here in the Mantrayana the Bhagavan speaks of three types of conviction: first, conviction derived from the tantra; then, conviction derived from the guru; then conviction derived from oneself. The path of the true, perfect Buddha becomes completely pure by means of these convictions. Otherwise, without these three convictions, the path that the guru relates to the 28 por more on this see: Jfanavajrasamuccaya-nama- tantra Peking #84; vol. 3, 253/2/6-1 & ff., 253/5/: Pradipodyotana 3; Gunabharani 22a/4-22b/1. Western Studies include: Natsunaga (1963); Steinkellner (1978); Broido (1983 & 1985); Ruegg (1985). Much work remains to be done on this complex and fundamental system of hermeneutics. {(Annotations:) "Intentional language" is spoken for sentient beings who desire the supreme, by employing words that contradict the actual state of affairs of the Dharma. “that which is not" (intentional language) clearly teaches reality so that sentient beings having dull faculties may understand. "Literal utterance" extensively explains the meaning of the mandala, the realizations, and so forth. "That which is not" (literal utterance) is the Tathagata's symbol that does not exist in the world or in treatises. “Provisional meaning" is explained in a hidden fashion to unfortunate persons. "Definitive meaning" well teaches the actual meaning. ]339 disciple will not give the result of true, perfect Buddhahood; due to the idiocy of the disciple's faith, he will get a worldly result in accordance with phenomenal truth. Here, the Bhagavan proposed a thesis in various tantras: Having made the mind devoid of conceptual thought, one should thoroughly examine the signs for one day. (U 36) If the disciple does not gain conviction by means of the procedure stated in the tantra and the guru's oral instructions, then the Bhagavan is a liar.29 However, if the procedure the guru teaches from the tantra does not give the path to the disciple, then the Bhagavan's thesis is not a lie, because the guru does not fully understand the path, and because he promotes meditation on a contrary and impure path. Also, the Bhagavan did not say that one should forsake the signs smoke and so forth, and thoroughly examine for one day the other signs achieved by (meditating on) the mandala circle. 29 a verse expressing this idea is given at Vajragarbha 169/2/3-4. The Sanskrit of this verse is given at Paranarthasangraha (S) 39: sarvacintam parityajya dinam ekam parikgayet/ yadi na syat pratyayas tatra tada me tan mrsa vacah//(sic) This verse is related to Hevajra II.1i.9; the first padas of both verses are identical.340 Here, the subject in a King of Tantra [like the Sam ja] that consists of three [pure] families®° is the three-faced one that consists of the families of Body, Speech, and Mind (Bu 978). The subject in one that consists of four [pure] families*! is the four-faced one that consists of Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis. Together with own-being's one family, the tantra and the subject consist of four families. Likewise, together with own- being [gnosis'] one (family), one that consists of five [pure] familiesS? becomes one that consists of six families. Here, the subject that consists of four families in a tantra that consists of four families is unified sun, moon, R&hu, fire; menses, semen, mind, gnosis (D 23a). Here, the Tathagata clearly proclaimed the vajrayoga in the Namasapgiti's "Praise of Analytical Gnosis" by means of the three verses starting with the thirty-third. Like this: Vajra sun, great light, the stainless light of the vajra moon, the primordial great passion that is 30 [in the Outer: moon, sun, R&hu; in the Inner: semen, menses, consciousness] 31 [the preceding sets together with Kalagni and gnosis] 82 [the five aggregates and the five passions]341 separate from passion, the light that blazes in various colors.//(NS 109) In the vajra cross-legged posture of the perfect Buddha, holder of the Dharma proclaimed by the Buddhas, the splendid one arisen from the Buddha- lotus, holder of the treasury of all-knowing guosis.//(NS 110) The king who bears various illusions, the great one, holder of the spells of the Buddhas, the sharp vajra, the great sword, the supreme unchanging purity.//(NS 221)99 33 [(NS 110:) "The Dharma" is the indestructible drop of Body, Speech, Mind, and Gnosis. “Splendor” is reality. The “possessor” of that is nonconceptual gnosis. The "lotus" is emptiness. Since it "knows" all aspects by means of introspective knowledge, it is "all-knowing." Since all phenomena are assembled in that "all-knowing," it is the "treasury of gnosis." (NS 111:) Since the radiance of gnosis is clear, it is "the king." Since the letter VAM appears as enjoyment of the five objects of desire and so forth through the nature of the five syllable great void, it is “various illusions." Since it holds the four drops, it is "the great one." It is "the sharp vajra" up to the boundary of maturation due to the very nature of stainless, ultimate, connate gnosis. Since it has cut off conceptual thought by means of the concordant cause, it is "the great sword." Since all phenomena are of a single taste by their nature of maturation, it is "unchanging." It is the "supreme" thing a person is to do.] Note: In this and all subsequent Namasamgiti citations I have translated the Sanskrit according to the Tibetan translation in Bu. Thus, my translations sometimes differ from those of Davidson (1981), which are based on earlier interpretations and different translations of the Ndmasapgiti. Nevertheless, my debt to Davidson's work will be obvious to anyone who cares to342 Because of this statement of the Bhagavan, the subject that consists of four families is Vajrasattva, the one who consists of [4] pure, [3] phenomena, [2] mantra, and [1] shape - Bhagavan Kalacakra (Bu 379). Like that, (the subject in a tantra) that consists of five families derives from the divisions of the aggregates and elements. Likewise, the Bhagavan said in the Maya jala Five-faced, having five hair-locks, a flowered crest of five hair-locks, holding the great discipline, compare our translations. The main difference is that I have not always attempted to make sentences out of the lists of names and epithets in the gathas. Many, perhaps most, of Bu ston's annotations to the verses of the Namasamgiti cited in the Vimalaprabha are drawn from Ravisrijfana's Amrtakanika-nama— nmasamgititippan? (Peking #2111). mkhas grub (TC 476) tells us that Tsong kha pa was of the opinion that most of Raviéri's notes are irrelevant within the context of the discussions of the Vimalaprabha, and that they should be examined. And in fact mKhas grub criticizes and rejects most of RavigrI's (and by extension, Bu ston's) notes as being either irrelevant within the context, or else as being simply wrong. (As usual, mKhas grub does not mention Bu ston by name,here). I find many of mKhas grub's criticisms of Ravisri's notes compelling, and his own explanations of the Namasamgiti's verses fit the context within the Vimalaprabha much better. I have translated Bu ston's (i.e., Raviéri's) comments mainly for the sake of completeness, but given more time I would have presented mkhas grub's commentary as well. Namasamgiti 109b-110b is quoted and commented on in Vajrapani 167/3/6-167/4/2.343 possessing a girdle of mufija grass, continent, the highest discipline.//(NS 93c-94b) 94 Likewise, the Bhagavan stated the subject that consists of six families due to the divisions of the aggregates and elements, and also that which consists of one hundred families due to the divisions of the mouths. He did this in the first verse of "The Praise of Mirror- like Gnosis" together with the verse quarter immediately following "The Pure Sphere of Phenomena." Like thi (u 37) Vajrabhairava horrifies./(NS 664) Fury king, six-faced, horrible, six-eyed, six-armed, mighty, a skeleton baring his fangs, hal@hala, one hunéred~faced.//(NS 67) 95 34 [The own-being of the five Tathagitas is “five~ faced." The own-being of vision, illumination, Acquisition of vision, clear light, and Dharma Body is “five hair-locks." That which is beyond the four devil waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the fourth - is flowered crest of five hair-locks." It "possesses a girdle of mufija grass" as a result of the coitus that does fot ejaculate bodhicitta. Tt is "continent" as 2 result of non-ejaculation itself.) 38 [(NS 66d:) “Vajrabhairava horrifies" thought and so forth by means of the avadhuti yoga. (NS 67:) Since it clears away the extreme of being separate from joy, it js the "fury king" - pratyahdra and so forth. Since it cuts off all suffering, it is "horrible." Since it enjoys {he six objects as great bliss, it is "six-eyed." Since Kap becomes a portion of bliss, it is "a skeleton” (kankala < Vkam-kala). Because of the blazing of cat it "bares its fangs." The hundred channels a: limitless channels being filled with great bliss by means of the binding of prapa is "halShala."]348 Because of this statement of the Bhagavan, one should understand that the subject in the various tantras is the three-faced, the four-faced, the five-faced, the six- faced, and the one hundred-faced (Bu 380). Here, the Bhagavan stated the place by means of the letter — in the Samija and so forth. And the Bhagavan stated that very same place by means of the word "mystery" and so forth in the LakeSbhidhSna and so forth. The very subject - Vajrasattva - that is stated by means of the letter VAM (in the Samija) is stated by means of the word ‘great bliss! (in the Lakg3bhidhSna). In accordance with the stated sequence, the subject in the Paramadibuddha that consists of four families and six families consists of four families and six families. The Bhagavan indicated indivisible emptiness and compassion, bodhicittavajra, great bliss, by means of the twenty-three syllables "The Omniscient One" and so forth (ive., Sci Kalacakra I.1ab). Here, the word ‘lion throne! indicates the space element - all aspects (D 23b). The one sitting on that lion throne is the one sitting on the lion throne. "Buddha" is Vajrasattva. Yoga" is the great aim - the supreme unchanging. This yoga is proclaimed in the Namasamgiti's "Praise of945 the Great Mandala of the sphere of Vajra" by means of fourteen verses beginning with these: Like this, Bhagavan Buddha, the perfect Buddha, is arisen from the letter A, The letter A is the foremost of ail letters, is the great aim, the supreme syllable. //(NS 28) (Bu 381) Great pra js unborn, it has abandoned oral declaration; it is the foremost cause of all expression, it well-illuminates all words.//(NS 29) And ending with this: The great, highest spell is the protector; the highest of great mantras is the guru. He is mounted on the Mahayana system; he is the highest one of the Mahayana system.//(NS 41)36 36 [(NS 28:) A connate yogi "like this," i.e., from maha@mudra, the nondual nature, (becomes) "Bhagavan Buddha." Because it is governed by great bliss, "the perfect Buddha," natural clear light, the emptiness of all aspects, the perfection of wisdom, the Fourth, "is arisen from the letter A." Since it is entirely of equal taste and indestructible, "the letter A is the foremost of all letters." Since it gives the good qualities of the Buddha, it is "the great aim." Since it (i.e., the “supreme unchanging" - paramaksara; mchog tu mi ‘gyur ba) is without production and destruction, it is "the supreme syllable" (paramakgara; yi ge dam pa). (NS 29:) Since the ten mandalas of the right and left (channels) have gone into the middle channel, “the great prana is unborn" because it is non-objectifying. Due to the nature of vajra recitation, it "has abandoned oral declaration." (Bu 381) Thus, since it is the clear light (prabhasvara; fod geal} of “all words," "it well-illuminates” them (suprabhasvara; rab tu gsal bar byed). (NS 41:) Because of mahamudra itself, it is "the protector." Since it346 The Bhagavan proclaimed this subject in all Kings of Tantra in accordance with the dispositions of the dull, middling, and best sentient beings. Likewise, he proclaimed the subject that consists of the six families by means of the fourteen syllables "void, also gnosis" and so forth (i.e., Sri Kalacakra I.2a). He also proclaimed that very same subject in the second verse of the Namasapgiti's "Praise of the Gnosis that Accomplishes Deeds." Like this: The one that engenders the entire aim of the mantras, the great drop without syllables, the five syllable great void, the six syllable drop void.//(NS 144)37 (0 98) Thus, since he teaches the Dharna by means of limitless terms, Buddhists should not say: "A King of Tantra taught by means of 'Thus have I hearé' and so forth is the teaching of the Tathagata; one taught by means of ‘mystery! and so forth, and ‘Omniscient One and so forth, is not the teaching of the Tathagata." If one holds should be concealed (gsang ba) from others, it is "mantra" (mantra; gsang sngags). Because of great bliss itself, it is "the highest of great (mantras)." The gnosis of great bliss is the agent that obtains “the Mahayana." The "highest one” is the one bearing the peak of the Fourth. ] 97 [It is "the one that engenders the entire aim" mahamudra, of the worldly and transcendental "mantras." Since the nature of expression has entered the middle channel, it is "the great drop without syllables."]347 faults in one's own system of tenets and in others! systems of tenets, one breaks the sixth fundamental vow. 9% Therefore, knowing the relation of the subject and the predicate in the various tantras, you should understand their good qualities and faults. (Bu 982) Otherwise, vicious Scryas gone outside the heart of the atha@gata, addicted to sensual pleasures, liars, will go to avici hell due to finding faults in things they know nothing about. In accordance with the stated sequence, the Bhagavan rightly taught the ParamZdibuddha King of Tantra by means of “the Omniscient One" and so forth. He did this using the best scripture and reasoning, without the subject and predicate being incongruous. Here, someone will wonder: "Isn't that very omniscient one the Bhagavan Buddha? For, both terms demonstrate one existent. Why did the Bhagavan make this repetitive statement ‘Buddha'?" Therefore, I should discuss this. (D 24a) Here, this statement, “That very Omniscient one is the Bhagavan Buddha," is true. However, foolish people imagine others, Hari, Hara, and so forth, to be omniscient, too. In order to repudiate their being 38 cf. aPag bsam yongs 'du'i snye ma 34,348 omniscient, it says: “The Omniscient One, the Bhagavan Buddha." There is no other Omniscient One who teaches all Dharmas by means of the utterances of all sentient beings in among Hari, Hara, and so forth here in the three realms. Here, you may ask: "Why isn't there an Omniscient One among them, one who teaches all Dharmas by means of the utterances of all sentient beings?" I shall discuss the reason for this. Hari, Hara, and so forth were born into the lige of the gods here in samsara that is composed of the six destinies. (Bu 383) Bhagavan Buddha resides at the far limit of samsara. Here, the Tathagata stated the thirteenth verse of the Namasamgiti's "Praise of the Very Pure Sphere of Phenomena." bike this: He has attained the far limit of samsara, has performed his deed, He stands on dry ground. He has spit out isolated knowledge; he hacks with the weapon of wisdom. //(NS 54)99 39 ["Samsara" is joy and supreme joy. Their “far limit" is distinct joy. Since he has given the Fourth initiation, "he has performed his deed." Since he has obtained nirvana by doing whatever is pleasing, “He stands on dry ground." Nondual joy is “isolated knowledge." "Spitting that out" is the nature of great bliss. The “weapon of wisdom" is nondual gnosis. "He hacks" the net of thought.1]349 Therefore, he is the Omniscient One, Bhagavan Buddha; "Buddha" is not a repetitive statement. You may say: "Isn't that very Omniscient One the Gnosis Body? Why did the Bhagavan make the repetitive statement ‘Gnosis Body'?" I shall discuss this. It is true that, "That very Omniscient One is the Gnosis Body." However, there are also other buddhas: Sravakas and pratyekas.49 In order to repudiate their being true, perfect Buddhas, the Bhagavan made the repetitive statement, “The Omniscient One, the Gnosis Body, the true, perfect Buddha, the Bhagavan, the Gnosis Body." Here, there are no Gnosis Bodies, no true, perfect Buddhas whatsoever among the Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas. Here, you may ask: “Why are there no true, perfect Buddhas whatsoever among the Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas?" I shall discuss the reason for this. Here, Sravakas and pratyekabuddhas dwell in a nirvana with residue, and a 40 ["Srdvaka and pratyeka-" buddha arhats are accepted as buddhas.] With regards to this annotation, mkhas grub (TC 494) says that such arhats are called "puddhas" because they possess the body nade of mind (yid kyi rang bzhin kyi lus), and refers to the Arya- Srimaladevisifhanada-~nama-mahayanasttra (cf. Peking #760/48; vol. 24, 255/4/8 ff.). I fail to see the Felevance of this because advanced bodhisattvas also possess the body made of mind, yet are not called “buddhas." I wonder if Pungarfka has in mind Madhyamakavat@ra & Bhasya I.1a, where pratyekabuddhas are called "middling buddhas" (sangs rgyas ‘bring), perhaps Gmpiying that dravakayana arhats are "little buddhas."350 true, perfect Buddha is liberated from all residue.41 (5u 384) And the Bhagavan stated this in the eleventh verse of the Namasaggiti's “Praise of Analytical Gnosis." bike this: He is liberated from all residue; he is well established in the track of the sky. He holds the great wishing gem; he is the highest of all precious things, the overlord.//(NS 87)4? (0 99) Therefore, the Bhagavan made the repetitive statement, "The Omniscient One, the Gnosis Body, the true, perfect Buddha, the Bhagavan, the Gnosis Body." (D 24b) Someone will say: “Since that very Gnosis Body destroys the darkness of nescience, isn't it the Body of the Day-Maker Sun? Why did the Bhagavan make the repetitive statement, ‘the Body of the Day-Maker Sun'?" Therefore, I shall discuss this. Here, this statement that, "Since that very Gnosis Body destroys the darkness of nescience, it is the Body of the Day-Maker sun," is 41 upadhi; Ihag ma. Not in Sanskrit lexicons with this meaning; cf. BHSD 195-196. 42 [He is liberated from all residual" thought by means of nonconceptual thought. "The track of the sky" is the divine image of emptiness. Since he holds the drop that simultaneously gives birth to all desires, "He holds the great wishing gem." "The highest of ali precious things" is the drop cf Body, Speech, and Mind. ]381 true. However, there are also other Buddhists who are vijfdnav@dins. In order to repudiate their consciousness reality, the Body of the Day-Naker Sun made the repetitive statement of ‘the Body of the Day-Maker Sun': "the Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, beyond the consciousness reality, the true, perfect Buddha." Here, no one among the Vijiianavadins is the Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, the true, perfect Buddha. Here, you may say: "Why is there no one among the Vijfidnavadins who is the Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day Maker sun, the true, perfect Buddha?" (Bu 385) 1 should @iscuss the reason for this. Here, the Vijfanavadins dwell in the phenomenon of consciousness. The true, perfect Buddha is beyond the consciousness reality (vijSa@nadharmata; rnam par shes pa'i chos nyid). Also, the Tathagata stated this in the twenty-third verse of the Namasangiti's "Praise of Analytical Gnosis." Like this: Beyond the consciousness reality, gnosis, he holds the mode of nonduality. Without conceptual thought, spontaneous, he has performed the deeds of the perfect Buddhas of the three times.//(NS 99)49 43 [rhe Alayavijfigna that does not have the eye (consciousness) etc. is "the consciousness reality." "Beyond" means crossed over, the one consisting of void well realizing compassion. The Bhagavan himself, the one352 Therefore, the Bhagavan made the repetitive statement, nthe Gnosis Body, the Body of the Day-Naker Sun, the true, perfect Buddha." Here, someone will wonder: "The Gnosis Body that is the subject of the tantra does not possess form. And doesn't the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals possess forn? Why did the Bhagavan say ‘the Zye of Spreading Lotus Petals'?" Therefore, I shall discuss this. Here indeed, the zye of Spreading Lotus Petals that is the subject of the tantra, that foolish people say possesses form, does not. Here, from the point of view of the definitive meaning, the word 'lotus' expresses the space elenent. (bu 986) Sentient beings dwell like lotus petals in that lotus space element, by means of the far-reaching nature consisting of clear light separate from elaboration, is “gnosis.” Since he consists of the profound and vast, he wholds the mode of nonduality."| Since he does not have even the conceptual thought of ultimate gnosis, he is “without conceptual thought." Because of the bliss of enjoying the five sense objects, he does not engage in the Conceptual thought of effort; thus, he is “spontaneous There are "three times" due to the divisions of the three samadhis - daytime, night time, and the junctions. The three "Bodies of the perfect Buddhas" that rightly appear in the three times are the Dharma Body, Enjoyment Body, and Emanation Body. ] T have translated NS 99b following MS B, which agrees with Davidson's edition: tryadhvasambuddhakarvakrt. N:— kryadhrg; D: -kayadhrk (so Davidson's MS A); Bu: sku shang ba.353 of the hundred families.44 The Bhagavan, whose hundred eyes are spreadS to the limit of those lotus petals, is the Zye of Spreading Lotus Petals. Here, the Bhagavan stated this in the sixth verse4S of the Namasapaiti's "Praise to the Mirror-like Gnosis." bike this: A blazing vajra with dreadful eyes, his head hair is a blazing vajra. A vajra possession, a great possession, hundred-eyed, vajra-eyed.//(NS 73)47 (D 28a) Because of this statement of the Bhagavan, the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals, the true, perfect Buddha, the Bhagavan, is separate from form. 44 (Rwa says: "The sentient beings who abide by means of the vast nature of the hundred families, the lotus petals..."J 45 gyatana; rgyas pa. Cf. ayatana; skye mched. 46 This is the seventh verse, not the sixth, in the "Mirror-like Gnosis" section of NS. 47 [He is equal_to a mirror prognostic due to the blazing of the candali of gnosis. Thus, he is "a blazing vajra.* Due to seeing great bliss by means of his "eyes" Wthe eye of flesh and so forth ~ he is "dreadful." Because the great bliss of indivisibility has extended hig head hair is a blazing vajra." The Yhitiation to the three realms is "vajra.* a possession" because one shakes, throbs, and so forth due to the blockage of udana and abana, It is “a great possession" because great bliss pervades all existents. Since it is the gnosis that Bxperiences bliss, the excellent thing to be realized, separate fron evil views, it is "hundred-eyed." Since it Sees an indestructible vision of the universe by means of the eye of flesh and so forth, it is "vajra-eyed.")384 That Buddha is sitting on the lion throne. The lion throne is the space element; moreover, the lion throne is the mandala of moon, sun, and fire. The one sitting on that is the one sitting on the lion throne. Here, the Bhagavan said in the Basic Tantr: In various tantras I speak of Vajri sitting in the E, in the mystery, in the space element, in the vulva, in the source of phenomena, in the lotus, or on the lion throne. //(1) (uv 40; Bu 387) I use the names VAM, vajrT, Vajrasattva, Vajrabhairava, Tévara, Heruka, K@lacakra, Hdibuddha, and so forth. //(2) Using the terms of various lands, in accordance with the dispositions of various sentient beings, I speak of the characteristic of the base - the place - and also of the based.//(3) Sucandra, you requested instruction from the omniscient One, the Bearer of the Vajra, the Teacher, the Buddha sitting on the lion throne, the Teacher of the Kalacakra.//(4)48 48 ((1) The base (@dhara; rten) is "E" in the SamBja; "mystery" in the Samvara; “space element" in the Pafjara; "vulva" in the Hevajra; "lotus" in the Yoganuviddha; and "lion throne” in the Adibuddha. (2) The based (adheya; brten pa), i.e., "Vajri, "Vay" in the Sanja; "Vajrabhairava" in the Yoqanuviddha; and’ "Heruka" an the Sapvara.] (These four verses are also cited in the Paramarthasangraha (S) 4.)365 Therefore, he is the Omniscient One, the Bhagavan Buddha. He teaches the worldly and transcendental Dharma. He is the Teacher of gods, demons, and men, He is suprenely compassionate and spontaneously affectionate. He is definitely liberated from all obscurations. Thus, the Bhagavan Buddha, the Omniscient One, is the Teacher of even Hari, Hara, and so forth. There is no one else at all who uses limitless utterances simultaneously to teach the worldly and transcendental Dharma to limitless sentient beings in the cosmoses of a great Note: Compare verses 1 & 2 with the following verses appearing in chapter 58 of the Vajramala: 7e ni gsang ba'i mkha‘ dbyings sam/ 7oha ga cho 'byung pad ma la/ /rnal 'byor seng ge'i gdan la bzhugs/ ymchog tu rmad byung ston par mdzad// /rdo rje sens dpa’ bal rdo rje/ 7rdo rje ‘jigs byed dbang phyug dang/ yhe ru ka dang dus 'khor 10/ ‘dang po sangs rgyas 1a sogs mtshan// (Peking #82; vol. 3, 226/1/4-5; TC 434 reproduces these two verses with seemingly superior readings.) I suspect these verses are interpolated in the Vajramald and that their source is the Vimalaprabha passage translated above. If these verses are original to the Vajramala, then we find the Adibuddha concept linked with the Kalacakra long before the system appeared openly: the Vajramala, a vyakhyatantra to the Guhyasamaja, is already cited by Nagarjuna in his Paficakrama, e.g., II.16-24. For _an interesting discussion of the formation of the VajramAla and the other Guhyasamaja vyakhyatantras, see Matsunaga (1964) & (1977b:XXIX-XXX); de Jong (1984:108-111). (N.B.: Matsunaga refers to these texts as “Akhyanatantras." The correct form is "yyakhyatantra"; cf. Paficakrama I.9d, 12, 16, 27; Pradipodyotana 2, 10, 11, 13, etc.)386 trichiliocoam, Since they (Vigna, Siva, etc.) were born jn the single, parochial birth as a god, and since they speak the single, parochial Sanskrit, they do not denonetrate the worldly and transcendental Dharma using the omniscient language that teaches sentient beings having various inclinations each in their own language. (pu 988) Here in the world of mortals one can plainly see that the dharmas they taught using the Sanskrit language - the Gita, the Siddhanta, and the Puranas - are all parochial.49 and so are the four Vedas, because (only} the brahmans and kshatriyas study the Vedas. Here, it is said: “Brahmans and kshatriyas should study the Vedas, but vaisyas, sudras, and so forth should not." Likewise, it is said: "The four castes - brahmans, kshatriyas, vaisyas, and sudras - should listen to the aharmas of the Gfta, the Sidéhanta, and the Purdnes from the mouths of the brahmans and should take up the mendicant's life; fishermen and so forth should not." Because of these statements prohibiting access to dharma, 49 [(These texts are:) Vignu's dharma the (Bhagavad) "gita," the Saiva~"siddhanta," and "the Puranas" (sngon rabs) - the Purdpas (1o rgyus) of the ten incarnations of Vignu and so forth.]357 the dharmas taught by those (gods) are parochial; they do not benefit all sentient beings. 50 Here in the land of morals, using the parochial Sanskrit language those (gods) are unable to teach the worldly and transcendental Dharma to sentient beings having various inclinations by means of their various utterances. (D 25b) or this reason they prohibit the vaisyas, sudras, and so forth, saying: "Here in the land of mortals, vaisyas, sudras, and so forth, those born into degraded wombs, should not study the Vedas and should not take up the mendicant's life and the staff."51 50 [(annotations to this paragraph:) "Brahmans and kshatriyas" are the castes that take up the mendicant's life ana chant the Vedas. "Kshatriyas" are heroic and protect the realm. "Vaisyas" trade and so forth, and have excellent wealth. "Sudras" perform lowly work such as farming. Gyi and Ma say: “...fishermen and so forth do not take up the mendicant's life." ‘Bro says: "...should take up the mendicant's life from the mouths of the brahmans and should grasp the staff, fishermen and so forth should not."] Note: Bu (i.e., Shong ston rDo rje rgyal mtshan's translation) reads: “...fishermen and so forth should not because they do not take up the mendicant's life." Bu ston's dissatisfaction with Shong Ston's translation is evident from his note giving the alternate translations of Gyi and Ma, and ‘Bro. My translation follows MSS and is basically in accord with ‘Bro, but 'Bro's "and should grasp the staff" is not in Mss. Generally, ail twice-born castes, i.e., including the vaisyas, were allowed to study the Vedas. Cf. Apte 68, Sov. adhyayanan. Pundarika seems to be attacking an extremely conservative position here. 51 [They should not take up the Vaignava discipline of the wooden "staff," the (Saiva) trident, and so forth.]ase Those who are overwhelmed with perverse pride believe: “A single word well-composed yields one's desires in heaven,"52 because they do not possess the omniscient language. (Bu 389) “Were in the world of mortals, if all people, sudras and so forth, know the Vedas, the Gita, the Siddhanta, dialectice, the treatises, and so forth, who will revere the brahmans? For everyone would understand science, anarma, and gnosis, and all the householder brahmans addicted to samsaric pleasures would have no special qualities." Knowing this, vicious sages greedy for property used the Sanskrit language to write down in books the dharmas of the Gita, the Siddhanta, the Puri lat as, and so forth. Also, they made the rule that, "The Yedas must be studied through oral recitation." This was done out of a wish to not teach them so that all could know; it has produced great ignorance among the foolish people. Here, it is said: “In former times, when the dharmas of the Vedas, the Gita, the Siddhnta, and Pui as were not written down in books, they dwelt in the mouths of ascetics. Then, due to the power of the time of the five 52 upadhyaya has identified this as Manabi 6.1.84. ata359 decays,53 the ascetics wrote them down in books because their wisdom was inferior. (U 41) Here, Buddhists should not admire the parochial dharmas taught by Hari, Hara, and so forth. They give samsaric suffering. They produce perverse pride. They have the arrogance of racism. 54 Here in the three realms, the Omniscient One taught the Dharmas using the omniscient language, (Bu 390) and the redactors wrote them down in books using the different languages of various sentient beings. These Dharmas demonstrate the Yedas and so forth - worldly aims, They demonstrate the aims of the three vehicles. ‘They were taught from the point of view of worldly, phenomenal truth, and from the point of view of ultimate truth.°S they were taught so that all sentient beings could listen to them and study them. Sentient beings inclined towards 53 ["the time of the five decays" (i-e., the kaliyuga) is the age that is 1) strife-ridden, 2) lifespan is short, decreasing from one hundred years, 3) sentient beings have few merits, 4) their passions are extremely fierce, and 5) there are the sixty-two evil views, and so forth.] Cf. the more standard list of five in Paranarthasamgraha (5) 3; Davidson (1961:43 [n. 9]). 54 ["Racist" (jativada; rigs su smra ba) means they say that the races are really fundamentally different by the force of the wombs (they are born into) - brahman and so forth.] 55 lokasamvrtisatya; ‘jig rten kun rdzob bden pa, & paramarthasatya; don dam pa'i bden pa.360 that listen to these eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma taught by the Omniscient One that demonstrate worldly and transcendental aims. They read them. They have them recited and maintained. Also, they have them extensively and properly elucidated to others. They have them consecrated, and they have them worshipped with various flowers, various incenses, various scents [perfumes that are mixtures of good scents], various aromatic powders (piles of aromatic medicaments made into powders], various fabrics, various mirrors, various bells, various banners, various yak-tail fans, various umbrellas, various canopies, various strings of pearls, various jewels, various lamps, and various precious ornaments. (D 26a) ‘Then, having had them worshipped, they bow down to then with their five limbs.5¢ Thus, these Dharmas the Omniscient One taught benefit others in accordance with their inclinations. In order to benefit others, the Tathagata did not prescribe them for some due to their [good] race and prohibit them to some due to their [bed] race. They still have not disappeared. Consider the differences in the different lands for a moment. Here in the land of the Aryans where the qathagata obtained highest, perfect Buddhahood, when the 56 r.e., the usual four plus the head.361 Bhagavan had passed into complete nirvana the redactors wrote down the three vehicles in volumes, (Bu 991) In accordance with the precept of the Tathagata, they used the language of Magadha and the language of Sindhu for the tripitaka. They used the Sanskrit: language for the sutras. For the paramitd system and the various tantras in the mantra system they used the Sanskrit language, the prakrit language, the Apabhrapga language, and the non- sanskritic barbarian languages - the aboriginal languages and so forth. The redactors wrote down these as well as other Dharmas taught by the Omniscient one.57 57 [This accords with the Indian manuscripts: “They used the Sanskrit language for the paramitd system. In the mantra system..." Ma says: "They used the language of Magadha and the language of Sindhu for the Tripitaka of the Tathagata's precepts. They used the Sanskrit language for the sutras and so forth. For the paramita system and the various tantras of the mantra system..." Rwa and Gyi accord with Ma. ‘Bro is somewhat in accord with Shong. "Sanskrit" is the language of the gods; it is “well- composed" (samskyta; legs par sbyar ba) due to the Characteristics of its radicals (prakrti), terminations (pratyaya) and modifications (vikriya). “The Prakrit janguage" is that of the middle country (i.e., North- central India). "The Apabhraméa language" is that whose words are corrupt. ] Bu (i.e., Shong ston rDo rje rgyal mtshan's translation) reads: "They used the language of Magadha for the Tripitaka. They used the language of Sindhu for the sutras, They used the Sanskrit language for the paramita system and the mantra system. For the various tantras they used the Sanskrit language, the Prakrit language. ..," etc. Bu ston's dissatisfaction with Shong ston's {ranslation is obvious from the effort he made to compare the available MSS and translations. My own translation differs from both Tibetan translations to a greater or lesser extent, but I follow Ma et al on the most362 Likewise, in the land of Tibet (bota: bod) the three vehicles were written down using the Tibetan language: in china (cTna; rgya nag) using the language of China; in NahacIna (rgya nag chen po) using the language of MahacIna; in the country of Persia (pdrasika; pa ra si ka) using the Persian language. North of the Sita River they were written down using the language of the land of campaka (tsam pa ka), the language of the land of Vanara (spre'u), and the language of the land called “Suvarpa" (suvarpakhya; gser zhes bya ba). Likewise, north of the NI1a River (sngon po) they were written down using the language of the land called "Rukma" and the language of the land of suramma.5® Thus, they were written down in problematic point - the syntax. The Sanskrit of this passage from our MS N was published long ago by Shastri (1917:77-78). However, apart from a mention of it by Dasgupta (1950:53), no one seems to have studied it. $8 ["Rukma" (rug ma) is called “*stri" (btsun mo) Ma says: “In the land of Suramma, the language of Ramna. (ma/ shin tu dga' ba'i yal du ni dga’ ba'i skad zer ro/)] MSS N & B (emendation) read: "and the language of the Jand of Suramma, north of the place called 'Himavat'." U, MS D, and Bu omit himavatakhyottare. I think this is an interpolation in N, and that someone at the Asiatic Society of Bengal has "corrected" B in accordance with N. I have noted other instances of this phenomenon. Sanskrit rukma means "golden’ means “gold." Hsuan-tsang identifies Suvarjagotra, 4 land producing excellent gold, with the eastern "Kingdom of Women" (Beal 1884:1.199). Tucci (1971:549, 551) refers to Cina, Suvarpabhiini /Suvarpakuti, and Strirajya as regions in the western Himalayas. ‘Stein (1972:35, 86-87) mentions Suvarnagotra and Strirajya. Hoffmann (1975:35) says:363 the ninety-six lands, each consisting of ten million villages, using the languages of the ninety-six lands. Likewise, the redactors wrote down the three vehicles in the twelve sections (of the earth), and in heaven, the jand of mortals, and the underworld, using the utterances of various sentient beings. $ravakas wrote down the SrZvaka vehicle. Pratyekas wrote down the pratyeka vehicle. (Bu 392) Bodhisattvas wrote down the paramita Mahayana and the mantra Mahayana that consist of cause and effect. The various redactors did this in order to train sentient beings. Considering it with this reasoning of the transmission of the scriptures written by various redactors using the languages of various lands, the Bhagavan Buddha, the Omniscient One, teaches the Dharma using the omniscient language, but others, Hari, Hara, and so forth, do not. However, if someone among Hari, Hara, and so forth is fully endowed with these good qualities, we should salute, worship, and honor him also, in all ways. “Later Buddhist sources [the Vimalaprabha?] also mention the existence of a "Gold country” in this part of the world (Suvarnagotra or Rukmadeéa)..." Beckwith (1977:149 & n. 208) identifies the "Women's Kingdom" with rGa rong/r6yal mo rong in western Tibet, and Suvarnagotra with the Kargil area between Skardo and Leh. I have not identified Campaka, Vanara, the Nila River, or Suramma. The Sita River, as noted above, is the Tarim in Eastern Turkistan.264 (¥ 42) Sadhus are devoted to good qualities, not to Buddha, Iévara, and so forth, Devotion to those without good qualities is idiocy born from non- virtuous karma.//(1) (D 26b) Even ordinary people teach Dharmas that benefit sentient beings. Scholars teach dharmas that harn sentient beings, saying, "It pleases me; it displeases me."//(2) In the world of the cannibal denonesses a mother even thinks to eat her own son. How will one who is merciless towards her own offspring act towards another man?//(3) (Bu 393) When brahmans engrossed in their own aims speak of patricide and matricide as dharma - as a means of sacrifice and so forth - then need one tell what they would do to others?//(4) 59 59 [(1) Ma says: "Noble ones are devoted to those possessing good qualities." "Sadhus are devoted" to the Omniscient One and to one who teaches the Dharma using the omniscient language - who possesses the "good qualities" that accomplish the aims of oneself and others. If they do not possess good qualities, they "are not" deyoted to those renowned as great persons - "Buddha, Isvara," Brahma, "and so forth." Due to "devotion" to Visnu, Tgvara, and so forth - who are “without good qualities" that achieve the two aims - some perform sacrificial killing in order to worship them. Even if they are held to be wise, "they are idiots born from non-virtuous karma." (2) The scholars’ altruism is even less than that of ordinary people. The reason for this is that those held to be "scholars" are "pleased" at their own side, the one that they accept, and are "displeased" at other sides.365 Therefore, it is well known from the Paramadibuddha that the Omniscient One, the Bhagavan Buddha who is compassionate towards all sentient beings, is the omniscient One who taught the Dharma by means of all utterances; and likewise, that Vajrapapi Sucandra, the lord of the tenth stage, requested it and redacted it. The Fourth Brief Account: Establishing the Teacher and the Requestor of the King of Tantra by means of “The Omniscient One," and so forth. From the Vimalaprabhé, the Commentary on the Abridged Kilacakra King of Tantra Following the Basic Tantr: Thus, they do not teach that which benefits "sentient beings," they "teach" injury and "harm." Ma says: “Scholars are not pleased at that which teaches harm to oneself and sentient beings." Rwa says: "If one teaches by means of what pleases and does not please, it harms sentient beings." (3) For example: if "a mother even thinks to" kill and “eat her own son," need it be said that she "who is merciless to her own offspring" is merciless to "another man?" (Bu 393) (4) Likewise, "when brahmans" held to be wise, “engrossed in their own aims, speak of murdering" their own “fathers and mothers as dharma - as a means of sacrifice and so forth - then need one say" that they would murder "other" men?]366 The Fifth Brief Account: A Summary of the Teacher and so forth A Summary of the Vairayoqa Now 1 shall discuss a summary of the vajrayoga. (Sr. KSlacakra 1.14) says: "yogs in the Sri_Kalacakra" and so forth. Here in the mantra system, the Bhagavan Buddha, relying on worldly and transcendental truth, specified two types of meaning in the various tantras. He specified one in accordance with worldly phenomenal truth, the second in accordance with ultimate (truth). Regarding that, provisional meaning is specified in accordance with worldly phenomenal (truth). Definitive meaning is specified in accordance with ultimate (truth). Disciples should understand those two meanings from the oral instructions of gurus. Likewise, in all the various tantras the subject is of two types: one is in accordance with worldly phenomenal (truth), the second is in accordance with ultimate (truth). (Bu 394) That which is in accordance with worldly phenomenal (truth) is characterized by color, arms, symbols, and shape. That which is in accordance with ultimate truth is devoid of color, arms, symbols, and shape.367 Among these two, that which is taught in accordance with worldly phenomenal (truth) is a phenomenon imagined by one's own mind, in order to achieve worldly siddhis in the Outer and Inner - it gives the result of the worldly siddhis. That which is taught in accordance with ultimate truth is devoid of phenomena imagined by one's own mind in order to achieve the transcendental mahamudra siddhi that possesses the best of all aspects. Like a maiden's prognostic image! in a mirror and so forth, the clear light of the yogis' own minds appears manifest in the sky. 1 pratisend; pra phab pa. For discussion of this term, which does not appear in the Sanskrit lexicons, see Newman (1988 appendix) . {"bike a maiden's prognostic image in a mirror," water, eye, thumb, lamp, "and so forth."] This annotation fs based on references to the otherwise unknown Pratisendvatara-tantra (Pra dbab pa la ‘jug pa'i_rayud): (i) Naro refers to this text in his Paramarthasangrahs (S) 49; (1) 124/5/7-8. (2) The anonymous Sekoddesapafilika translated by Bu ston cites a verse from the Pratisenavatara-tantra (Peking #2071; vol. 47, 160/2/4). (3) Bu ston cites the same verse in a translation that differs significantly from that given in the SekoddeSapa%jikd (sNying po enang ba'i ‘od zer 277). Unfortunately, the lists of types of prognostication given in these sources are difficult to reconcile. All purport to give eight types, but list the eight somewhat differently. The list should probably be reconstructed as follows: mirror, sword, thumb, lamp, moon, sun, water-well (udakakunga chu dang thabs), and eye. (I take udakaku as a tatpuruga, not as a dvandva as the Tibetans do.) for another mention of eight types of prognostication, see above Vimalaprabha 1.1.35b.368 It gives the result of the desired aim. The result is the gnostic mind of unchanging bliss. ‘The unity of these two minds - the one consisting of wisdom and method, (U 43) the vajrayoga, the great aim, the supreme unchanging, the Adibuddha without partiality, Bhagavan Kalacakra - is renowned in all the various tantras as Vajrasattva.? (D 27a) This very Bhagavan is called “the Nature Body" in the Prajfaparamita - in the paramita system that is characterized as the cause.3 Likewise, Maitreya said that (the Buddha Bodies) are ascertained to be four, [the three Bodies] together with Activity, (Bu 395) in this verse of the Abhisamayalar The Nature [Body] together with the Enjoyment [Body], Likewise the other Emanation [Body; these three are] the Dharma Body. Together with Activity [ - Buddha Activity, the fourth - ] it is rightly said to be fourfold.// (Abhisamayalamkara I.18)4 2 [ghese two minds" are taught in accordance with phenomenal and ultimate (truth): one possesses the characteristics of color and shape; (the other) is devoid of color and shape. Alternately, they are the cause- non-objectified emptiness endowed with the best of all aspects, and the effect - unchanging bliss. ] 3 [It is “characterized as the cause" because it chiefly teaches emptiness endowed with the best of all aspects. ] 4 Bu ston's annotations on this verse represent the three-kaya theory favored by the Sakya tradition (following Arya Vimuktasena and other Indian scholars).368 This very Bhagavan is called “connate joy" and "the connate Body" in the mantra system that is characterized as the effect.5 The definitive meaning is: "It has abandoned object and subject, it is beyond the consciousness reality, it is not localized in existence or nirvana, it is the assembly of the Buddhas as well as the congregation of the goddesses, it is the nature of being the same taste together with this Gnosis Body." Here, vajrayoga is without partiality; it has abandoned eternity and annihilation, It has gene beyond worldly examples. It has thoroughly forsaken intellection of existence and nonexistence. Like a prognostic in a maiden's mirror, it is not imagined by one's own mind. It is directly seen; an object of confidence. It is all aspects; it originates from the sky. It is completely good. It is the complete faculty.7 It dwelis in the Another school of exegesis (following Haribhadre} interprets this verse as teaching four kayas: svabhavika, dharma, sambhoga, and nirmapa. (John Makransky is currently studying this subject for his doctoral dissertation at the University of Wisconsin ~ Madison; T ‘am indebted to him for the preceding information.) Given Pundarika's discussion here and elsewhere in the Vimalaprabha, he seems to follow the four-Kaya theory. 5 [It “is characterized as the effect" because it chiefly teaches non-objectifying compassion - the unchanging bliss.] 6 [Rwa, ‘Bro, Ma, (and MSS) had this samantabhadra in their Indian manuscripts; it is omitted in the manuscript this translation is based on.]370 self of all sentient beings; it is connate joy. It has abandoned logical reason and example. Since it is heterogeneous, the identity of existent and nonexistent serves as an example for this vajrayoga in order to destroy all grasping at sides in the yogis.8 It is like the worldly example: "Since it is heterogeneous with ‘pot! [that exists as an existent], ‘sky-flower' does not exist, because it is entirely nonexistent. (Bu 395) Likewise, since it is heterogeneous with 'sky-flower ‘pot! exists, because it is entirely existent." Since these two are mutually heterogeneous, they are an example {of heterogeneous things being ultimately identical]. Likewise, since it is heterogeneous with annihilation [nirvana], existence [samsara] exists, because it is entirely existent. Since it is heterogeneous with existence [samsara], annihilation does not exist, because it is entirely nonexistent. ‘The word ‘annihilation! indicates nirvana [that is the exhaustion of the five aggregates] - the characteristic of the nonexistent.® 7 [rt sees the entire meaning of everything. ] 8 [(Bu reads:) The ultimate “unity of existent and nonexistent is an example for this vajrayoga because" existence and nonexistence are mutually "heterogeneous."] 9 [the heterogeneous existence negates nonexistence; the heterogeneous nonexistence negates existence. Having done this, the two are established as a single taste without being ultimately either existence, nonexistence,371 Likewise, the identity of these two, the pot and the sky-flower, is an example of the transcendent because it is heterogeneous. These two, the pot and the sky-flower, are not identical for worldly phenomenal (truth) because they are mutually contradictory. For, due to the nature of existent and nonexistent, that which exists does not not exist, and that which does not exist does not exist. Since it is contradictory, that which makes mind characterized by existence does not make it characterized by nonexistence; that which makes mind characterized by nonexistence does not make it characterized by existence. Here also, the divine image that consists of emptiness and compassion - the pure mind that is like a maiden's prognostic image - is not characterized by form {i.e., existence, it is heterogeneous with existence, ] because it does not have particles. (D 27b) It is not characterized by formlessness [i-e., nonexistence, it is heterogeneous with nonexistence,] because it exists in the void. 10 ox both. J 10 [1t being nonexistent because it has passed beyond the heterogeneous particles establishes the void. It being existent because it exists in the void establishes it phenomenally.]312 (Bu 397) Therefore, the phenomenal possesses the form of emptiness, and emptiness possesses the form of the phenomenal. Since it has gone beyond worldly examples, the mind that exists is non-mind: it is free from the characteristics of eternal and annihilated phenomena, it is indivisible emptiness and compassion.!! since both minds are heterogeneous from the point of view of ultimate truth, vajrayoga has gone beyond existence and nonexistence, has exhausted existent and nonexistent; it iis nondual because the speech of the Tathagata is without partiality. 12 Here, the Bhagavan said in the Basic Tantra (U 44) Passed beyond [ka] existence and [gal nonexistence, the exhaustion of [nga] existent and nonexistent, nondual [kha] is indivisible emptiness and compassion, the vajrayoga, the great bliss.//(1) Beyond [ka} atomic reality, abandoned (ga] void phenomena, liberated from [kha] eternal and [nga] annihilation, is the vajrayoga without partiality.//(2) 11 ["The mind that exists" in the void "is non-mind" because it has passed beyond particles.] 12 ["since both" existent and nonexistent “minds are heterogeneous"..."existence" negates nonexistence "and nonexistence" negates existence. Thus, "vajrayoga has gone beyond" existence and nonexistence. It is “nondual" (without the two:) existence and nonexistence. ]373 Likewise, the Tathagata said in various tantras that vajrayoga gives the mahdmudra siddhi. This pure vajrayoga, the highest, perfect Buddhahood in one moment, the noble great aim, the supreme unchanging, the connate joy, does not abide in the desire existence.13 It does not abide in the [sixteen ] form existences. It does not abide in the [four] formless existences. It does not abide in the desire nirvana [- the annihilation that is the abandonment of the desire realn]. (Bu 398) It does not abide in the form nirvana [ - the nirvana without residue, or annihilation, that is the abandonment of the form realm]. It does not abide in the formless nirvana [ - the abandonment of the formless realm]. For, it is not localized in existence or nirvana. It does not abide in both because they are nutually contradictory. Like shadow and sun, existence and nirvana are not identical. For example, fire does not abide in the base of the fire-drill. It does not abide in the fire-drill. Tt does not abide in the effort of the person's hand.*4 13 [rt "does not abide" by means of the relation of base and based "in the" eleven “desire existences," or else it does not abide by means of that which is not reality. ] 14 he base of the fire-drill": arapi; gtsub stan, cf. MW 86. "The fire-drili": sarakanda; gtsub shing usage not attested in Skt. lexicons; cf. Vimalaprabha 1.1.5ic374 Likewise, the yogi should realize the vajrayoga everywhere in the outer, Inner, and other. 15 Here, the so-called highest, perfect enlightenment in one moment is a moment of supreme unchanging great bliss. This highest, perfect Buddhahood in one moment is the person developing!® ali the moments through to the end of the count of the breaths. Then, the highest, perfect Buddhahood in that moment of completion is the true, perfect Buddha. Here, after that moment of completion [of the twenty— one thousand, six hundred supreme unchanging moments] in which all Tathagatas obtain highest, perfect Buddhahood, all phenomena do not originate, do not abide, and do not disintegrate, for they are without partiality. Here, during the moment all phenomena originate they do not abide and do not disintegrate. Here, during the moment they abide they do not disintegrate and do not originate. Here, during the moment all phenomena disintegrate they do not originate and do not abide. qhus, according to sequence, all phenomena do not above. For the image of fire production, cf. Guhyasan ja prose following 9.20; and Hevajra II.iii.37. 15 pahya; phyi. adhyatmana; nang. para; gzhan. 16 yibh@vaka; rnam par sgom pa po. Cf. Davidson (1981:35 (Rn. 114]); NS 141be.378 momentarily originate, momentarily abide, and momentarily disintegrate. Also, it is impossible that this be simultaneous: the moments of origination, abiding, and @isintegration are not identical at a single time in which all phenomena occur. (D 26a; Bu 399) However, you might say: According to sequence, the moment of abiding arises from the moment of origination; the moment of disintegration arises from the moment of abiding; and the moment of origination arises from the moment of disintegration. But this irrelevant from the point of view of reasoning about the ultimat Here, another moment does not arise from a foruer obstructed moment; likewise, it does not arise from an unobstructed moment. For example, a sprout does not arise from a spoiled seed, and a sprout does not arise from an unspoiled seed. Thus, since ultimate being does not exist, there is no one moment, because one and many are contradictory. Here, that “highest, perfect Buddhahood in one moment, the person developing all the moments" (NS 14icb) is the first highest, perfect Buddhahood by means of a moment of supreme unchanging bliss for the person developing the twenty-one thousand, six hundred moments of supreme unchanging bliss. After that, the supreme nondual yoga of the Buddhas is devoid of all moments, is separate376 from one and many, because ultimately it is separate from being and non-being. As long as there is worldly being phenomena are discriminated by means of one and many because of the appearance of momentary mind. When mind is separate from momentary phenomena it is called "void of own-being. "17 {Bu 400) Therefore, the Bhagavan said that the side void of own-being is without side, The so-called ‘side! is: "existent and nonexistent; being and non-being; is and is not; one and not-one; eternity and annihilation; existence and nirvana; form and non-form; sound and non- sound; moment and non-moment; lust and non-lust; hatred and non-hatred; (U 45) nescience and non-nescience." These and others are side (pakga; phyogs) because they are mutually dependent (apekgika; 1tos pa dang beas pa). The Buddhas' non-localized nirvana that is separate from this side is void of own-being. Gnosis separate from moments one and many is called "reality" by the Jinas. That (reality) appears fourfold, and also in sixteen aspects, in accordance with the dispositions of sentient 17 pinsvabh@va; rang bzhin med pa. Naro gives an excellent, succinct definition of emptiness in the Paramarthasangraha (S) 6; (T) 107/2/3: tatra Svabhavabhavatah’ Sinyam tasya Sinyasya bhava Sinyat’; /de la rang bzhin med pa nyid las stong pa ste/ stong pa de'i dngos po ni stong pa nyid do/. "The nonexistence of own- being is void. The existence of that void is emptiness."377 beings' own minds, It is fourfold according to the divisions (1) joy, (2) supreme, (3) special, and (4) connate.18 Thus, [the four joys are:] (1) Body joy, (2) Speech joy, (3) Mind joy, (4) Gnosis joy; likewise, [the four supreme joys are:] (1) Body supreme joy, (2) Speech supreme joy, (3) Mind supreme joy, (4) Gnosis supreme joy; likewise, [the four special joys are:] (1) Body special joy, (2) Speech special joy, (3) Mind special joy, (4) Gnosis special joy; likewise, [the four connate joys are:] (1) Body connate joy, (2) Speech connate joy, (3) Mind connate joy, (4) Gnosis connate joy. (D 28b; Bu 401) When a yogi knows such a sixteen aspect reality, the Bhagavan calls him “a knower of the sixteen aspect reality" (NS 133). That very reality [i.e., nondual gnosis] is called “the Connate Body." Following that is the Dharma Body; following that, the Enjoyment Body; following that, the Emanation Body. Likewise, Connate Speech, Connate Mind, Connate Gnosis; Dharma Speech, Dharma Mind, Dharma Gnosis; 18 For discussion of these terms see: Snellgrove (196$a:34-35, 38, 134); Kvaerne (1975:109-115). | Kvaerne (1975:111 [n, 101]) notes that vi~ in the compound viramananda is sometimes translated as khyad par gyi (khyad par gyi dga' ba), and taken as meaning vié: "special" or "extraordinary," and that -rama-~ is either untranslated, or regarded as synonymous with ananda. This is in fact the case here in Bu. Other times viramananda is translated as dga' bral gyi dga'_ba, "the joy of separation from joy"; cf. Snellgrove (1959a:2.163).378 Enjoyment Speech, Enjoyment Mind, Enjoyment Gnosis; Emanation Speech, Emanation Mind, Emanation Gnosis. The sixteen aspect reality appears in accordance with the superior aspirations of sentient beings' minds. ‘That very Connate Body is “purified by the emptiness liberation, Gnosis Vajra, the Omniscient one, the one that consists of wisdom and method, the pure yoga."19 That very Dharma Body is called, “purified by the signless liberation, Mind Vajra, Gnosis Body, the one that consists of wisdom and method, the self of phenomena yoga." That very Enjoyment Body is called, “purified by the wishless liberation, Speech Vajra, the Body of the Day-Maker Sun, the one that consists of wisdom and method, the mantra yoga. That very Emanation Body is called, “purified by the non-constructional liberation, Body Vajra, the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals, the one that consists of wisdom and method, the shape yoga." Vajrapapi asked the Brddha for such a four-fold vajrayoga as this. (Bu 402) 19 [integration (yuganaddha; zung 'jug) consists of sixteen aspects. (1) among the four resultant Bodies, (the Connate Body) is "the Connate Body"; (2) among the four path liberations, it is "purified by the emptiness liberation"; (3) among the four resultant Vajras, it is the "Gnosis Vajra"; (4) among the four words of the introduction (Sri Kalacakra I.1a), it is "the Omniscient one” whose nature “consists of wisdom and method"; (5) among the four yogas, it is "the pure yoga."] Note: These Categories apply to the three following Bodies as well.379 Regarding the one purified by the emptiness liberation, the Gnosis Vajra, the Connate Body that consists of wisdom and method, the one that has obtained omniscience: it is the Omniscient one because it sees everything, Regarding the one purified by the signless liberation, the Mind Vajra, the Dharma Body that consists of wisdom and method, the one that has obtained knowledge of the aspects of the path: it is the Gnosis Body because it abides by means of the supreme unchanging bliss. Regarding the one purified by the wishless liberation, the Speech Vajra, the Enjoyment Body that consists of wisdom and method, the one that has obtained knowledge of the path: it is the Body of the Day-Maker Sun because it simultaneously teaches the worldly and transcendental Dharma by means of the utterances of limitless sentient beings. Regarding the one purified by the non- constructional liberation, the Body Vajra, the Emanation Body that consists of wisdom and method, the one that has obtained knowledge of all aspects: it is the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals because it simultaneously radiates the miracle of the array of the Body of all aspects by means of limitless Bodies. Likewise, the highest, perfect Buddhahood by means of one moment is the Gnosis Vajra; it sees all objects. The highest, perfect Buddhahood by means of five aspects is380 the Mind Vajra - the supreme unchanging bliss. (D 29a) The highest, perfect Buddhahood by means of twenty aspects is the Speech Vajra; it is the twelve aspect true aim that teaches the Dharma by means of the utterances of all sentient beings. The highest, perfect Buddhahood by means of the net of illusion is the Body Vajra; it is the knower of the sixteen aspect reality, the Body radiated by limitless nets of illusion. (Bu 403) Here, the purity of the fourfold [states of the] mind vajra is the characteristic of the four Bodies. The mind that is the nonexistent of the fourth mind that consists of the vulvaand penis anointed with the stain of tenacious lust is the Nature Body - “the Omniscient one." (U 46) The mind that is the nonexistent of the deep sleep mind overwhelmed by darkness is the Dharma Body - "the Gnosis Body." The mind that is the nonexistent of the being and non-being dream mind generated by prapa is the Enjoyment Body - "the Body of the Day-Maker Sun." the mind that is the nonexistent of the waking mind, the perception of the existents of many conceptual thoughts, is the Emanation Body - “the Eye of Spreading Lotus Petals." 1 will explain this vajrayoga in detail in “The chapter on Gnosis." Here in “The Chapter on the Cosmos" I have given a mere brief account. Thus, (Vajrapani Sucandra) asked for [the subject - ] the yoga thatconsists of Gnosis, Mind, Speech, and Body in the Sri KSlacakra, the King of Tantra. A Summary of the Dharma Teaching Should you wonder what this (Sri Kalacakra) is, it is the A collection that possesses the KA line.20 Regarding “the A collection that possesses the KA line": The line of KA is the KA line - the letter KA and so forth, the consonant series. The letter KA should be known as the chief of all the consonants because it is specified at the first, or because it is the nature of menses. Likewise, the collection of A is the A collection - it is called "the fair of the vowels." Here is the line of KA: KA KHA GA GHA fA CA CHA JA JHA fia 20 ,aliyugasamaye; ka phreng idan pati a ‘dus la. This phrase is intentionally ambiguous. Kaliyugasanaye makes perfect sense when read literally as "in the period of the Kali Age." Indeed, Khas grub (TC 601) says that the earlier Tibetan translators ‘Bro, Tsa mi, Gyi jo, etc., translated it as rtsod Idan dus su, a faithful rendering of the literal meaning. However, as mKhas grub notes, Pupdarika never even mentions the literal meaning (he hardly ‘needed to!), and I follow the Vimalaprabha (and Bu) in translating it according to the intended sense. Pungarika breaks the compound as kaliyug-asamaye, and indicates that is should be taken in apposition with Srikalacakre, as I have translated above, Also, kal should properly be kali-, but the a has been shortened to fit the meaning and the metre.382 TA THA DA DHA YA PA PHA BA BEA MA TA THA DA DEA NA sa yea ga 6a KA. Such is the line of KA - the consonant series. (Bu 404) Here is the collection of A: AR1tiR Ru GLE aM aq @ ar AR ARO AU AL BL HA HA YA vE ra RE VA VE LA LA. Such is the collection of A - the fair of the vowels. Since the KA line is inserted in this A collection, it possesses the KA line. Sucandra asked for the subject that is the Kdlacakra - the vajrayoga, the Adibuddha that is the natural topic of the tantra - in that A collection ‘that possesses the KA line: the Kalacakra discourse, the A etc. and the KA etc. consisting of wisdom and method, the yogatantra, the [dibuddha without partiality. ‘The preceding is a summary of the Dharma teaching. A Summary of the Purpose and the Ultimate Purpose Now I shall discuss a summary of the purpose and the ultimate purpose. (Sri_Kalacakra I.id says:) "for the liberation of humanity." Regarding ‘for the liberation of humanity': First, achieving the aims of sentient beings by entering the mandala and so forth is the purpose. (D 29b) Also, the purpose is the achievement of worldly383 siddhi by means of the accumulation of merit, by the power of meditating on the forms of the mandala circle, by the power of the blessing meditation, and by means of the hero process and the blessing process. Then, the most exalted, further purpose of that purpose is the ultimate purpose. Here, one meditates in the space element by means of a mind devoid of conceptual thought, by the signs smoke and forth, by means of mah@mudrd - the natural state of the divine image of the universe of all aspects. By means of this practice of supreme unchanging bliss, and by means of the accumulations of merit and gnosis, (one obtains) Buddhahood and Vajradharahood during this human life. The preceding is a summary of the purpose and the ultimate purpose. Past Buddhas taught this Paramadibuddha yoga. Present Buddhas are teaching it. (Bu 405) Future Buddhas will teach it. It has been, is being, and will be taught to the entourages of past, present, and future times, of past, present, and future occasions. Limitless Tathagatas rightly taught it, are teaching it, and will teach it to limitless sentient beings in limitless Buddha fields so that (they may obtain) Buddhahood.384 The Fifth Brief Account: A Summary of the Teacher and so forth From the VYimalaprabh3, the Twelve Thousand Line Commentary on the Abridged Kalacakra King of Tantra, Following the Basic Tantra.385 The Sixth Brief Account: A Summary of the Mandalas Initiations, and so forth. (U 47) (The sixth topic:] Now, the lord of men Yasas - the emanation body of the noble Bhagavan Mafjugri- being requested by Siiryaratha, stated Sucandra's request as the Tathagata had prophesied in the Paramadibuddha. He did this with the second verse: Sr¥_KGlacakra 1.2 Void, also gnosis, drop, bearer of the best best thunderbolt; Buddhas, gods, and demons also; the soul that consists of the twenty-fifth among the natures in the Outer, in the body, also in the Other; the measurements of the universe in the body; the arrangement of the three existences; the enjoyments of gods and demons; the mandalas; and the initiations - rightly explain this, guru of gods and men!//+ 1 [It is called "the soul (puruga; skyes bu) that consists of the twenty-fifth" because it abides like a man (skyes bu) who has reached twenty-five years of age. "Gods" (tridaga; skabs gsum pa) is an expression for ‘gods.' Since other than the three states of birth, sickness, and death they do not have the (fourth) state of old age, they are called "three-state" (skabs gsum pa).] Note: Bu takes tridaSa ("the thirty (gods]") in pada d as tridaSa ("three-state’ this is plausible metri causa. Hither way I would translate the expression as "gods."386 Here, the Bhagavan stated the verse of request in order to summarize the five syllable great void, the six syllable drop void (NS 144cd), the six families, and so forth. (Bu 406) Thus, I shall expatiate this. Here, when I have first elucidated the hidden meaning of the tantra by means of the verse of request - "void" and so forth - (the meaning of the tantra] that will be discussed [below] will become intelligible to those who have the minds of children. Thus, at the begim g of the commentary I should express an epitome. (D 30a) Here, the terms "void" and so forth elucidate the invisible and visible existents that are (respectively) not within the range of the ephemeral sense faculties and are within the range of the ephemeral sense faculties. Since terms always precede nonbeing and being, nonexistent and existent, we use designations like 'sky- flower' and so forth, and 'pot' and so forth. Here, the nonexistent denoted by the term 'sky- flower! is not an existent. Likewise, the existent denoted by the term 'pot' does not have the characteristic of the nonexistent, because it is expressed by its own term. Likewise, the Tathagata specified, and the redactors also wrote down, (various) existents in the various tantras using the terms of the treatises, terms of the387 vernacular, terme of the mantra syllables, and terms of the individual syllables. Yogis should understand all of these in accordance with the provisional meaning and the definitive meaning.” Here, there are various terms for even a single nonexistent and existent.? (Bu 407) Therefore, yogis should not form a terminological concept about even 4 Single existent that is specified by various terms, For, thoroughly examining the noble guru's instructions, like gold, is relying on the meaning. Here, these fourteen syllables: "void, also gnosis, arop, bearer of the best thunderbolt" (Sri Kalacakra 1.2a) summarizes this person of the great soul that consists of 2 [rhey use “terms" renowned in "the treatises" such as 'three-state' for ‘god'; "terms of the vernacular” language such as canta for cantapa (?); “terms of the mantra syllables" such as "lotus vessel" for 'skull'; "and terms of the individual syllables" such as "lada" for 'man,' and "ladi" for ‘woman.'] For "lotus vessel" as sandhyabhasa for "skull" see Hevajra II.iii.58b. 3 [rt 4s good if one translates ihaikabhavabhavasva ca_nndsamjfia (sic) as ‘dir acig_la yang dngos po _med_pa Gang dngoe po'i ming sna _tehogs te.] Bu reads: ‘dir acig Sang dngos po med pa ja yang ming sna _tshogs te. Skt. : Set anaes Sopavasys bhavasva ca igikeapiiah.~ mkhas grb {fe 608} cites the translation of dPang: ‘dir dngos_po med pa dang dngos po gcig la yang ming sna tshogs te. My translation follows Skt. and dPang. 4 his sentence refers to the first of the four pratisaranas (cf. Mhvy 1545-1549), and the simile of examining gold (cf. Tattvasamgraha 9587) .388 the six elements by means of the terms ‘void' and so forth. (1) Like this: (1) the gnosis aggregate, (2) the consciousness aggregate, (3) the gnosis element, (4) the space element, (5) mind, (6) ear, (7) sound, (8) the sphere of phenomena, (9) the vulva, (10) urination, (11) the divine organ, (12) ejaculation. Their quality of being devoid of obscuration, of having the same taste, and of being a unified mixture is called nyoid." It is not totally nonexistent because the yogi knows it himself, The Jinas call that indestructible. The emblem of the term for this indestructible is a mere picture, unpronounceable, having the aspect of a cleaver in the middle of south, north, east, and west. This is the first syllable of great void. (111) Following that, it says "also gnosis." The word ‘also’ here is indicated for the sake of aggregation389 because it demonstrates the meaning of aggregation. By this term "gnosis" one should understand "the third void." Like this: (1) the feeling aggregate, (2) the fire element, (3) eye, (4) taste, (5) hand, (6) gait. Their quality of being devoid of obscuration, of having the same taste, and of being a unified mixture is ‘gnosis! - the third syllable of great void. The emblem of the term for this is two drops, unpronounceable, to the south of the emblem of the middle indestructible. (0 48; D 30b; Bu 408) (IV) By this term "drop" one should understand the fourth void because of the previous word ‘also.' Like this: (1) the perception aggregate, (2) the water element, (3) tongue, (4) form, (5) foot, (6) taking. Their quality of being devoid of obscuration, of having the same taste, and of being a unified mixture is "drop"-390 the fourth syllable of great void. The emblem of the term for this is one drop, unpronounceable, to the north of the middle emblen. Regarding: "The bearer of the best best thunderbolt" - the one who bears the best and the best thunderbolt is ‘the bearer of the best best thunderbolt’ because it is an ekadvandva.5 Due to the previous word ‘also,’ these three (4.e., ‘gnosis,' 'drop,' and 'best') become terms for void. (11) The first term ‘best! expresses the second void. Like thi (1) the construction aggregate, (2) the wind element, (3) nose, (4) tactile, (5) the speech faculty, (6) defecation. Their quality of being devoid of obscuration, of having the same taste, and of being a unified mixture is 'best'- 8 [It is "an ekadvandva (with syntactical predominance on) “best.” That which compounds different Objects that are to be denoted by different terns is a wandva compound.) varakuligadhara; mchog mchog rdo rje Tdzin pa. this is certainly a strange dvandva. As the Vimalaprabha and Sri Kalacakra (T) I.2a both show, vara~ has implicit in it a duplication of itself; thus the Tibetan mchog_mchog. This appears to be an idiosyncratic application of the ekagegadvandva; cf. Kale (1894:115 {#186], 119-120 (#197]).391 the second syllable of void. The emblem of the term for this is a mere unpronounceable picture having the aspect of a staff to the east of the emblem of the middle indestructible. ({V) The second term ‘best’ expresses “the fifth void." Like this: (1) the form aggregate, {2} the earth element, (3) the body faculty, (4) odor, (5) the anus, (6) expression. Their quality of being devoid of obscuration, of having the same taste, and of being a unified mixture is 'best'- the fifth syllable of void. The emblem of the term for this is an unpronounceable plow shape to the west of the middle indestructible. In the stated sequence, the five unified mixtures express the five syllable great void, the letter VAM, vajrasattva, great bliss, thunderbolt. (Bu 409) Here, the five unpronounceable syllables that possess vowel-terms are like this: (I) In the middle is the letter A void having the aspect of a cleaver. (II) To the south is the letter R void, two drops. (III) To the nortn is the letter U void, one drop. (IV) To the east is the